State Republican lawmakers' proposals are in line with President Trump's America First and anti-immigrant policies.
One measure would formally cut off state financial aid for college and CareerTech students who are in the country without permission. Another would require verification of legal immigration status to get a job in Oklahoma, and fine businesses that hire people unlawfully in the country.
Senate Joint Resolution 31, by Sen. Brian Guthrie, R-Bixby, proposes a constitutional amendment that would prohibit non-citizens, including lawful permanent residents, from purchasing land. It's paired with some tweaks to the definition of a 'bona fide resident' in state statute in Senate Bill 1582.
Republican House Speaker Kyle Hilbert from Bristow filed a pair of bills aimed at streamlining administrative procedures for federally funded food and healthcare assistance, while sussing out unlawfully present migrants and reporting them to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Dozens of other measures aim to chip away at immigrants' role in public life.
A few bills, filed by Democrats, seek to reverse the anti-immigration momentum moving through the halls of the Oklahoma statehouse.
The House Speaker's anti-immigration and SNAP adjustments combo
In a press release shortly after the Jan. 15 bill filing deadline, Hilbert announced his legislative goal aimed at "Safeguarding Eligibility, Compliance and Use of Resources Efficiently" when it comes to tax-funded food and health assistance programs.
House Bills 4422 and 4423 encompass what Hilbert is calling the "SECURE" package. It doubles as a tightening of eligibility restrictions for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Medicaid (also known as SoonerCare), according to federal mandates, and a crackdown on immigrants in the country without a lawful immigration status who may apply for them.
HB 4422 focuses on drawing red tape around who can qualify for federal and state food assistance programs by cutting out unlawfully present immigrants from eligibility.
The bill's language starts with an explanation of intent.
"The goal of this section is to recognize that foreign-born legal residents of the State of Oklahoma contribute to our society by working in our communities, supporting local businesses, and paying taxes and should be eligible to receive certain types of public assistance under certain conditions," it reads. "Moreover, the state goal is to provide the types of assistance that will enhance the state's ability to receive federal financial participation, thereby reducing the ultimate burden on the state and local government for emergency health and welfare needs."
For the purposes of eligibility, the measure defines 'qualified alien' according to Section 431(b) of the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which includes people who are parolees, asylees and those under a temporary protected status, as defined by federal immigration statutes.
Then, it mandates the Department of Human Services to verify the legal immigration status of applicants using the federal Systematic Alien Verification of Entitlements (SAVE) system, and report any applicants deemed unlawfully present, or otherwise unverifiable, directly to ICE.
The verify-and-report process also extends to adults applying for TANF benefits on behalf of their children, regardless of whether they are listed as beneficiaries. HB 4423 follows much of the same logic, definitions and reporting process, but applies the mandates to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority as it relates to the administration of Medicaid.
Hilbert's intent, as stated in the press release, is to ensure that tax-funded programs benefit taxpayers, not unauthorized immigrants. He states the bills are about "accountability, fairness and the rule of law."
"Oklahoma taxpayers should never be forced to subsidize benefits for individuals who are in our country illegally," he wrote. "These services are intended for legal tax-paying citizens, and we are going to make sure that is who is receiving these benefits in Oklahoma."
A study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that, as of 2022, about 89,000 Oklahomans without lawful immigration status were living and working in the state, contributing $227.5 million in state and local taxes that year.
Immigrants in education and the workforce
Formalizing the end of in-state post-secondary tuition and financial aid for unauthorized immigrants and restricting businesses from hiring such individuals when they enter the workforce are also top priorities for Republicans this year. Dozens of bills have been filed to their effect.
Senate Bill 2050 by Edmond Republican and 2026 State Superintendent candidate Sen. Adam Pugh is an amendatory measure that eliminates the existing Oklahoma statute extending in-state tuition and state financial aid to local high school graduates without legal immigration status, if they could prove they were actively applying for permanent residency.
The move backpeddles a policy that's been around since 2007, when an anti-immigrant wave coursed through state legislatures, and Oklahoma passed the House Bill 1807, a bill excluding immigrants from certain aspects of public life.
Formally named the 'Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act 2007,' that measure was championed under a similar premise as many anti-immigration bills are today: protecting taxpayers. But it allowed the Oklahoma Board of Regents to stipulate eligibility for in-state tuition and financial aid on its own.
The board chose to include unauthorized immigrants in getting aid shortly after the bill's enactment. Nearly 20 years later, Pugh's measure – along with at least half a dozen other similar ones – would undo that policy in state statute, although it was already rescinded via a federal court order earlier this year.
When it comes to immigration in the workforce, some Republican lawmakers are looking to implement citizenship verification for employment and add restrictions on companies that hire immigrants without work authorization and highly skilled foreign H1-B visa workers.
Sen. Dusty Deevers, a Republican from Elgin and the Vice-Chair of the Freedom Caucus in the Senate, filed a slate of measures meant to "curb illegal immigration and protect Oklahoma workers from visa program abuses."
"These five proposals come from a place of love for Oklahoma and its people; the hard-working men, women, and families who are the lifeblood of our state," Deevers wrote in a Jan. 16 press release.
Among Deevers' measures is Senate Bill 1850, which requires employers to verify employees' work permissions with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He called it the 'off switch for the magnet attracting illegal immigration to Oklahoma,' in the press release.
"For too long, businesses who play by the rules and pay fair wages to Oklahoma workers have been systematically undercut by competitors who use illegal labor to slash costs," Deevers wrote. "Not only is it an economic injustice, but it has allowed a shadow economy to flourish where fake permanent resident cards are used to bypass our laws."
Not all immigrants have work authorization, even if they have legal permission to be in the country, as it's most often applied for once someone enters as a refugee, asylum seeker, or protected status holder.
Still, the measure proposes a three-tier punishment system for employers in violation, supported by an anonymous reporting system to the state attorney general's office.
At first, offending employers get a proverbial slap on the wrist, but upon a second offense, a $2,500 fine is tacked on for every worker hired without legal immigration status. The per-violation fine jumps to $5,000 for the third offense.
Also by Deevers, Senate Bill 2076 prohibits the state from renewing or entering into service contracts with companies employing H1-B (highly skilled) and F-1 (student) visa holders instead of Oklahoma residents and eliminates eligibility of such companies for all state tax incentives for doing business in the state.
There are several versions of the bills mentioned in this story by other Republican lawmakers, with varying levels of differences between them, but they essentially all aim to prioritize Oklahoma residents and non-immigrants.
Democrats file a scant few of their own immigration bills
Sen. Michael Brooks, D- Oklahoma City, and chair of the Latino Legislative Caucus, filed two bills in direct opposition to Republican anti-immigration policies.
Brooks' Senate Bill 1234, aiming to limit when local law enforcement officers can wear masks or face coverings meant to obscure their identity. The bill requires police executing warrants with masks to obtain written permission from a judge – written in a signed warrant – saying they are allowed to wear them.
Also by Brooks, Senate Bill 1308 aims to reverse the federal court order ending in-state tuition for students without legal immigration status, but it's likely to face an uphill battle in the Republican majority legislature.
Any efforts to mitigate the anti-immigration momentum among the Republican supermajority will likely be unsuccessful, as Democrats never have the floor votes to stop legislation they oppose.
