Court pauses controversial Oklahoma immigration law that adds 'impermissible occupation' charge
A federal judge has agreed to temporarily block Oklahoma from enforcing a controversial immigration law that allows state prosecutors to charge people with "impermissible occupation" if they are in the U.S. without authorization.
U.S. District Judge Bernard Jones in Oklahoma City issued the order on Tuesday, May 20, saying it will expire in 14 days, 'unless extended for good cause or dissolved or modified sooner.'
Enforcement of the law, passed in 2024, had been delayed by federal lawsuits that argued Oklahoma lawmakers exceeded their authority by trying to regulate immigration, which is considered a matter of federal law. But in March, after Republican Donald Trump replaced Democrat Joe Biden as president, the federal government dropped its legal challenge to the law.
The American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups filed an amended complaint to renew their challenges to the law on May 13, asking for a temporary restraining order, which Jones granted.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who supports enforcement of the state law, immediately issued a statement decrying Jones' ruling, calling it outrageous that the state is again blocked from enforcing the new law.
'In the name of federal law, the court is protecting admitted lawbreakers from federal and state consequences,' Drummond said. 'This is perverse, contrary to the rule of law, and we will be evaluating all options for challenging the ruling.
In his ruling, Jones acknowledged the complaints from the law's supporters, saying their 'frustrations are not lost' on him.
'But those concerns, however pressing, cannot override the constitutional design,' Jones wrote. 'When determining whether a state law like H.B. 4156 is preempted, the Supreme Court instructs courts like this one to look to the intent of Congress, not the enforcement priorities of any particular administration. Doing so, and based on the comprehensive and exhaustive immigration framework that Congress designed, the Court is left with one conclusion: H.B. 4156 must fail.'
The ACLU didn't immediately issue a public statement about Jones' ruling.
If allowed to go back into effect, the law would establish the misdemeanor crime of "impermissible occupation", with punishment being up to one year in a county jail, a $500 fine or both. Any subsequent convictions would trigger felony charges and the possibility of spending two years in state prison and/or a $1,000 fine. People convicted of impermissible occupation would be forced to leave Oklahoma within 72 hours of being released.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Federal judge pauses controversial Oklahoma immigration law HB 4156
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Donald Trump Says 'Bring in the Troops' as LA Riots Escalate
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump called for troops to enter Los Angeles amid rioting in the Californian city that stemmed from protests against immigration enforcement. The Republican president is deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to L.A. to quell the intense violence, despite opposition from Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. "Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!" Trump posted to his Truth Social platform in the early hours of Monday morning. This is a developing story. Updates to follow.
Business Insider
3 hours ago
- Business Insider
BlackRock, State Street to urge dismissal of collusion case, Bloomberg says
BlackRock (BLK), Vanguard Group, and the asset management arm of State Street (STT) are headed to court over a lawsuit brought by Republican state attorneys general claiming they colluded to reduce coal output, Josh Sisco and Silla Brush of Bloomberg reports. Lawyers from the companies are set to urge a federal judge to dismiss the case. The suit claims the firm have large stakes in coal producers and profited when energy prices soared. Confident Investing Starts Here:
Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Who's that knocking at your door? It's Anthony Weiner on a comeback tour
NEW YORK (AP) — Imagine this: You're home for the evening, winding down. There's a knock at the door. Who's there? It's Anthony Weiner. And he wants your vote. Yes, that Weiner: The guy whose once-promising political career was derailed by sexting scandals and then seemingly ended forever when he was imprisoned for sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl. But now Weiner's hoping to convince enough voters in lower Manhattan that he deserves yet another chance in a comeback bid for a seat on the New York City Council. On a recent weekday at an apartment complex in the Lower East Side, the former congressman, 60, was knocking on doors, reintroducing himself to voters and reminding them about the election. And, on this Thursday at least, the would-be constituents aren't slamming their doors in the registered sex offender's face . 'It's Anthony Weiner!' the candidate said after knocking on a door. A man opens the door, his face lighting up with surprise. 'It is Anthony Weiner!' the man said, a big smile spreading across his face. After some pleasantries and a reminder about the race, the man had an important question for the candidate: 'Mind if I get a picture with you?' And so it went as Weiner walked down floor after floor, knocking on doors. A quick hello here, a fast thank you there. Campaign literature flowed into hands. People seemed happy to see him. It isn't always this friendly. Weiner said he still struggles with how to speak about his scandal, calling it the 'fundamental, unsolvable problem of the campaign.' 'Sometimes it's with like real painful, kind of, honesty about what happened and sometimes it's a little bit defensive, and sometimes, like, a woman at this street fair last week, she's like, 'I love you and I'm going to vote for you, but I voted for you before and how can I ever trust you?'' he said. But, he notes, some people would rather talk about anything else. 'They're like, 'I don't want to hear about that. I want to hear about me and I want to hear about how come there aren't cops on the street and I want to hear about why my taxes are so high,'' he said. From Congress to prison Weiner, a brash and ambitious politician whose New York accent and wily, kinetic style made for solid theater on the House floor, was once someone worth watching in the Democratic Party. Back then, he represented a district in parts of Brooklyn and Queens. His latest return to the political stage — this time for a City Council seat that covers Union Square and the East Village — pits him against state lawmaker Harvey Epstein, whose name's unfortunate proximity to convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein inspired a 'Saturday Night Live' bit , along with a handful of other low-key candidates. The primary, on June 24, is considered the defining contest of the election, given the district's heavy Democratic bent. It's hard to know how it'll turn out in a low-turnout, early-summer primary where there's no deep political polling. The comeback attempt comes more than a decade after his career imploded for sending a lewd picture of himself to a college student over Twitter in 2011. He first tried to claim his account was hacked but eventually admitted to having inappropriate online interactions with at least six other women and resigned from Congress after serving there for more than a decade. After leaving Washington, Weiner mounted a campaign for New York City mayor but was again undone after it was disclosed that he sent explicit photos under the alias 'Carlos Danger' to at least one woman after leaving the House. The revelation tanked his mayoral bid. Along the way, his marriage collapsed. In 2017, his scandal entered the criminal realm after prosecutors said he had illicit online contact with a high school student. During the proceedings, Weiner's lawyer said he probably exchanged thousands of messages with hundreds of women over the years and had been communicating with up to 19 women when he encountered the student. He eventually pleaded guilty to transferring obscene material to a minor and was sentenced to 21 months in prison. He was required to register as a sex offender after his release in 2019. Since then, he's worked as the CEO of a countertop company in Brooklyn and hosted a radio show where he would muse about politics, eventually finding himself ginning up his own ideas and wondering: Why not get back in the game? He opened a campaign account and donations started flowing in. He'd go out on the street and people wanted to sign his petitions. 'I knew I had things I wanted to say and I knew that I thought it was important that everyone try to do something at this point,' he said. The elephant in the room Still, his scandals are so much an elephant in the room that his campaign recently started circulating a mailer that, on one side, features a massive elephant alongside the text 'Anthony Weiner knows you may have questions.' On the other side, a note from Weiner reads: 'Since I am asking you for your vote again, I want to address the elephant in the room.' It goes on: 'I accepted responsibility, I did my time (literally) and paid my debt to society in full.' A man who answered one of Weiner's door knocks told the candidate that he saw the mailer and said it was a smart move to address the scandals head-on. The two then dove into political issues, chatting about crime, the subway and homeless people. As the conversation was coming in for a landing, the man told Weiner that showing up at his door to speak with him showed that he cared. He declined to give his name to an Associated Press reporter who approached him after Weiner had said goodbye and taken off down a flight of stairs. After a few more meet-and-greets, Weiner wrapped up for the day. He left he complex, hopped on a bicycle and zipped off down the street. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
