(Patriot.Buzz) – For addressing a crisis the federal government created, the Department of Justice (DOJ) initiated legal action against Oklahoma over a state statute that imposes criminal sanctions on illegals.
The DOJ argued that the enforcement of immigration laws is a federal responsibility and Oklahoma “cannot disregard the U.S. Constitution and settled Supreme Court precedent.”
“We have brought this action to ensure that Oklahoma adheres to the Constitution and the framework adopted by Congress for regulation of immigration,” stated Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton.
Statute HB 4156 criminalizes unlawful presence in the state, empowers local law enforcement to arrest illegals and mandates them to exit the state within 72 hours after being convicted or released from custody.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt ratified HB 4156 this month, and the statute is set to become effective on July 1.
Stitt asserted that the bill was necessary due to the Biden administration’s failure to safeguard the nation’s borders.
“Not only that, but they stand in the way of states trying to protect their citizens,” Stitt declared in a statement.
The DOJ had already threatened to sue Stitt and Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.
It claimed that the law infringed the U.S. Constitution and requested the court to invalidate it and ban the state from enforcing it.
Drummond pledged to defend the law and accused the Biden administration of being “‘committed’ to subverting the immigration laws of this country.”
“Oklahoma is exercising its concurrent and complementary power as a sovereign state to address an ongoing public crisis within its borders through appropriate legislation,” Drummond penned.
“Put more bluntly, Oklahoma is cleaning up the Biden Administration’s mess through entirely legal means in its own backyard – and will resolutely continue to do so by supplementing federal prohibitions with robust state penalties,” he concluded.
Oklahoma is among several GOP states vying to dive deeper into immigration enforcement in an effort to address the insurmountable crisis.
Similar laws enacted in Texas and Iowa are already facing challenges from the DOJ.
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