House and Senate leaders last week announced their aim to file joint legislation to address the growing illegal immigration crisis here in Oklahoma, creating the crime of impermissible occupation.Details include:• A person commits an impermissible occupation if the person willfully and without permission enters and remains in the State of Oklahoma without having first obtained legal authorization to enter the United States.• Penalties for violating the new law will be: - First offense – Misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for a term of not more than one year, or by a fine of not more than $500, or both; required to leave the state within 72 hours from the date and time specified on the written order; and prohibited from reentering the state at any time thereafter.-Second or subsequent offense – Felony punishable by imprisonment in the custody of the Dept. of Corrections for a term of not more than two years, or by a fine of not more than $1,000, or both; required to leave the state within 72 hours from the date and time • Additionally, the legislation includes a preemption clause prohibiting municipalities from becoming “sanctuary cities.”Oklahomans have a right to legally defend our state’s borders from those in our country illegally, and we don’t need to be footing the bill for these criminals.Because of the Biden Administration’s open-border policy, every state has essentially become a border state. With this has come an increase in fentanyl and other dangerous drugs, which has increased the death toll exponentially. There were 317 deaths attributed to fentanyl alone in 2023 in Oklahoma. We’ve also seen an increase in sex and labor trafficking.This country has always been open to people coming here legally and pursuing a path to citizenship, and we will still allow that, but we must protect ourselves from violent gangs and those who seek harm to our lawful citizens.On a completely separate note, I had a page last week. Jackson Weibling, a junior at Garber High School, served in my office.House pages run messages to legislators while we are in the chamber debating policy mock session, in which they learn legislative procedure and how to write legislation.Jackson is the son of Ashley and Sean Weibling. He hasn’t decided on a collage yet, but he’d like to play college football and major in sports management or business.Jackson plays football and basketball and runs track. Jackson received ...
