Dozens of bills filed this session would expand cooperation with federal immigration authorities, restrict access to public assistance, driver’s licenses and higher education, and limit foreign land ownership.
Oklahoma has seen a spike in immigrants challenging their detention in federal court. Hundreds of detainees are being held in county jails and for-profit facilities across the state as the Trump administration ramps up deportation efforts.
They are legally in the U.S., but earlier this year, President Donald Trump ended the humanitarian parole program that gave them their status. Since then, the family has faced a legal and emotional rollercoaster as their case moves through the federal court system.
As deadlines in the federal court case against the Oklahoma law criminalizing unlawful presence loom, attorneys fighting the state say stopping the law is vital to prevent a bad situation from getting worse – faster.
Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing houses federal detainees awaiting deportation proceedings.
Immigration attorneys say they’re seeing a growing number of green card holders detained for past criminal convictions, some for cases that are years old.
