Lionel Ramos
State Government ReporterLionel Ramos covers state government for a consortium of Oklahoma’s public radio stations.
Previously, Ramos has reported for investigative news site Oklahoma Watch covering race and equity, reporting on the rising political capital of Latinos in Oklahoma, the resettlement of Afghan refugees, the stakes for Indigenous Oklahomans in the Supreme Court's 2023 Brackeen v. Haaland decision, unemployment, housing, and veterans’ issues.
Born into the circus, Ramos traveled across the country in an RV with his family for the first half of his life. He eventually landed in San Antonio, Texas, where he attended high school and community college before transferring to Texas State University in San Marcos. He holds a bachelor's degree in English with a focus on creative writing. While a student at Texas State, he covered local and student government for the college newspaper, The University Star.
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The Oklahoma Legislature passed a bill that would allow local law enforcement to arrest undocumented immigrants — joining other states attempting to take on what's been a federal role.
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As a crisis continues on the U.S. Southern Border, Oklahoma lawmakers are among counterparts from about a dozen states taking things into their own hands. Their efforts generated backlash from the Latino immigrant community. -
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt says he has not decided if he will sign a controversial piece of immigration legislation if it reaches his desk next week. First, he says, he’s seeking advice from a trusted foreign diplomat from Mexico. -
Oklahoma is a step closer to criminalizing people in the state without legal immigration status. Democrats questioned the bill’s legal and moral merits, as well as the consequences of its passage, intentional or not, during a tense House floor discussion Thursday morning. -
House Speaker Charles McCall and Appropriations and Budget Chair Kevin Wallace introduced their chamber’s proposed state budget for Fiscal Year 2025 Tuesday, but the inclusion of an income tax cut and a $1 billion gap between the House and Senate plans, means the fight over how to spend state tax dollars continues. -
House and Senate leadership unveiled details on a proposal punishing people for entering and remaining in the state without legal permission Thursday, and they want to create a new crime to try and combat illegal immigration. -
Oklahoma’s Department of Veterans Affairs is seeing another leadership shake-up after Executive Director Greg Slavonic announced his departure from the agency last week. -
House and Senate leadership unveiled details on a proposal punishing people for entering and remaining in the state without legal permission Thursday, and they want to create a new crime to try and combat illegal immigration. -
Stitt or Drummond? Oklahoma Supreme Court will decide who represents state in tribal compacting caseA federal judge thinks the Oklahoma Supreme Court should decide whether the Governor or Attorney General has the authority to represent the state’s interests in federal court. One attorney says the court’s choice could affect more than just the case in question. -
Southeast Oklahoma experienced a total solar eclipse of the sun Monday afternoon.
