Oklahoma Lawmakers Investigate Cost of Illegal Immigration Amid Conflicting Estimates
Lawmakers in Oklahoma’s House States Powers Committee are looking into how much money illegal immigration costs the state annually. Immigration policy and research organizations have different estimates - meaning lawmakers don’t have a clear sense of how to best legislate around the issue.
Rep. David Hardin called for a House interim study to find out how much Oklahoma taxpayers spend on illegal immigration.
Michael McManus directs research at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR — an interest group focused on reducing immigration into the United States.
"FAIR estimates there are 198,000 illegal aliens and their US-born children in Oklahoma. In total, the cost of illegal immigration to Oklahoma taxpayers is $770.9 million a year," said McManus.
FAIR’s website says their methodology conflates the number of unauthorized immigrants in the state with those of unaccompanied minors, holders of certain visas and other temporary legal statuses.
The results show massively inflated numbers compared to groups that have done similar studies using recent census data.
The Migration Policy Institute, for instance, shows the number of foreign-born non-citizens in Oklahoma is closer to 146,000. That includes people with legal permission to be in the country.
McGirt Pleads No Contest to Sex Offender Registration Violation
The man at the center of the landmark McGirt case pleaded no contest Tuesday to charges that he failed to register as a sex offender and resided near a playground.
Jimcy McGirt concedes there’s enough evidence to convict him of violating his federal probation for sex offenses against children.
Seminole Nation Judge Greg Bigler agreed to the plea, sentencing McGirt to five years, with all but six months deferred.
Upon his release, McGirt will serve a four-and-a-half-year banishment from the Seminole Nation and wear an ankle monitor for his supervised probation.
Prosecutor Tim Brown said justice has been served.
"I wanted to make sure that we can keep track of him. I think that’s going to be a primary component for ensuring the safety of the citizens of Seminole Nation and Seminole County," Brown said.
McGirt’s attorney, Richard O’Carroll, said his client acknowledges he made a ‘mistake.’
"He wasn’t aware there was a park there, but he technically violated the law for a short period of time, and he was one day late in reporting," O'Carroll said.
This is the latest development in McGirt’s legal saga. The overturn of his state charges led to the re-affirmation of several tribal reservations in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Department of Education Faces Backlash Over Columbus Day Post
The Oklahoma State Department of Education is receiving backlash for an online post celebrating Christopher Columbus.
The department posted a message marking Columbus Day on its social media platforms, saying Columbus’ voyage to the Americas “ultimately discovered the New World.”
The post drew much criticism online, including from Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., who said promoting Columbus Day whitewashes history.
“I think it’s born out of the same weird obsession that that department seems to have with supposed woke ideology, and I think they were looking for an opportunity to spin the false narrative that Columbus was some sort of hero," Hoskin said.
Columbus Day is not recognized by Oklahoma as a state holiday, but it’s celebrated on the second Monday of every October as a federal holiday.
In 2021, the federal government also officially recognized the day as Indigenous People’s Day.
Career Tech Programs Add $1 Billion To State Economy In FY2023
Oklahoma’s CareerTech programs added nearly $1 billion to the state's economy during the 2023 fiscal year.
According to a recent report, the programs generated more than $29 million in tax revenue, and supported more than 8,600 jobs across technology centers, skills centers and adult education providers.
The report said CareerTech’s programs had a 94% positive placement rate for its graduates.
Officials say they aim to increase enrollment by 15% by 2029.
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