Governor Weighs Commutation Option For Undocumented Criminals
Gov. Kevin Stitt says Oklahoma has more than 500 undocumented immigrants in custody in its jails and prisons.
But before those people can be deported under more aggressive Trump administration policies, they must finish their sentences for crimes committed.
Stitt said he will consider whether to commute the sentences of those people who have been convicted so they can be sent out of the country.
“We’re not going to let bad people out just to make a political statement. But I also think about the tens of billions of dollars that Oklahoma taxpayers are spending to be incarcerating people that really shouldn’t be in our state anyway,” Stitt said.
Stitt launched a program called Operation Guardian late last year to remove people from Oklahoma who are here illegally.
The leader of the project told news outlet Oklahoma Voice it will be working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport immigrants in the state illegally, especially those who have been convicted of crimes.
State Republicans Looking To Set Up Oklahoma’s Mass Deportation Infrastructure
Oklahoma's Republican-led legislature is in lockstep with President Donald Trump’s rollout of mass deportation policies.
State lawmakers have filed multiple bills to make the deportation of unauthorized immigrants more efficient.
From proof-of-citizenship requirements for schools and employers to expanding anti-sanctuary city prohibitions, increasing collaboration among local, state and federal law enforcement, and punishing unauthorized immigrants convicted of murder with automatic death sentences…
Republican lawmakers are streamlining Trump’s immigration policies in Oklahoma by making pariahs out of those in the country without federal permission.
Meanwhile, Senator Michael Brooks from Oklahoma City is proposing a bill allowing Oklahomans without legal immigration status - but with a long history of paying state taxes - to get a state-issued driver’s license.
It’s Brooks' third time filing the measure, which has failed overwhelmingly over the last two years.
State Education Department Renews Effort to Purchase Bibles for Classrooms Amid Lawsuit
The State Department of Education is looking again to buy Bibles for Oklahoma classrooms.
A new court document shows the agency intends to move forward with the purchase despite a pending lawsuit in the State Supreme Court.
In October, a lawsuit was filed against the department and the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, which facilitates bid solicitations.
According to The Oklahoman newspaper, OMES entered a notice Friday to the court saying the Department of Education asked for a request for proposals for 55,000 Bibles.
OSDE made a request in October for the same kinds of Bibles — with a description that appears to be tailored to a version endorsed by President Donald Trump.
After abruptly withdrawing that request, it bought more than 500 Trump Bibles for AP Government courses.
In anticipation of the RFP request, OMES asked the court last month to issue a stay of its work to process the order until the lawsuit concludes.
Expansion Coming For National Memorial Museum
The Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum plans to expand.
Oklahoma City TV station KFOR reports the expansion plan includes the addition of a new space that will bring new programs, history, and stories from the attack.
This new space known as “Foreword” will add 13,000 sq. ft. to the museum.
Included in the new space will be artwork from the Murrah Building, new technology and civics labs for students in the education center, and a film studio to record oral history of unknown stories.
The Memorial Museum said the new expansion will continue to honor, inform, and incorporate the years after the bombing.
Developers on the project hope to break ground this fall.
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