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Oklahoma Republicans take heat for new immigration task force that critics claim walks a fine line

August 29, 2024 | | Print Article

A special task force has been formed in Oklahoma to give immigrants a way to stay in the state, angering many who see it as a way to make a path for those in the country illegally.

The Oklahoma State Work Permits and Visas Task Force was launched in response to the passage of House Bill 4156 last session which was signed into law by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt.

State and local law enforcement officials are authorized under the new law to remove immigrants from Oklahoma who entered the country illegally. But an effort is being made to give “non-citizens” a way to get visas, permits, and driver’s licenses as the new task force, created by the GOP governor, seeks to create a process to make it easier for them, KOCO reported.

“How do we let families thrive without fear that something is going to happen if they are legitimately working here?” said Tricia Everest, the secretary of public safety who was also appointed by Stitt as the chair of the new task force.

(Video Credit: KOCO5)

The “Office of New Oklahomans” is reportedly being floated as one idea.

“Not only in Oklahoma but nationwide, the majority of noncitizens are really highly educated,” Everest said.

An increase in work permits and visas for non-citizens looking to stay or move to Oklahoma is one recommendation with the goal of retaining “highly skilled and educated talent, especially if they have a degree from an American university,” KOCO reported.

“If we have noncitizens, and they’re coming and training in our universities, and they become specialists in fields where we need them — if we need nurses — there’s not enough visas available nationally where they can actually practice here,” Everest said.

“Here, we train all this talent, and then they have to go back to their country of origin, and then they go through a process?” Everest said.

According to KGOU:

The 11-member task force also recommended issuing certain qualified migrants with driver’s privilege cards, or DPCs, to be used solely to drive in Oklahoma, not for use as a valid form of I.D.

Other recommendations include allowing professional credentials for global talent in Oklahoma, piloting different kinds of state-issued visas for international workers, and allowing employers to seek non-citizens to fill high-demand jobs.

“If you do not have a criminal history, you can prove nationality, identity, and residency — it’s a highly restricted privilege,” Everest said.

The bill is not yet being enforced because of an ongoing court battle but the governor says he still stands by it.

“We have some great immigrants coming into our country, and we need to fix our immigration policy. Federal government is not doing it,” Stitt said. “We’re not going to be a sanctuary state. We’re going to enforce border security. We will absolutely. We have to know who’s coming into our country.”

But not everyone is on board and many on social media called out the Oklahoma Republicans for what they believe is a way to make it easier for illegal migrants to stay in the state.

Some did try to clarify and say it only applied to those “immigrants working in the state legally.”

Frieda Powers
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