Drummond appeals injunction, continues fight against illegal immigration
OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 23, 2024) –Attorney General Gentner Drummond is continuing to fight against illegal immigration in Oklahoma by appealing an injunction that has halted enforcement of Oklahoma’s new immigration reform law.
Drummond is asking the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse a preliminary injunction that a federal judge issued on June 28 – days before the law to was to take effect – at the urging of the Biden-Harris Administration.
The Legislature this year passed House Bill 4156 at Drummond’s request to help crack down on the illegal marijuana farms, the vast majority of which are worked by illegal immigrants. The measure allows local law enforcement to arrest and incarcerate immigrants who are in Oklahoma illegally, without any federal authorization.
“HB 4156 in no way conflicts with or undermines federal law. Rather, HB 4156 mirrors federal law by design,” states the brief. “Without a valid cause of action, the United States relied on speculation about how HB 4156 would be implemented, spurious conclusions about the law’s underpinnings, and fundamental misconceptions about a state’s sovereign rights and duties in a federalist system of government.”
The filing emphasizes that HB 4156 was necessary because of the Biden-Harris Administration’s failure to secure the nation’s porous border. The activities of these clandestine operations extend beyond black-market marijuana to include fentanyl distribution, sex trafficking and money laundering.
“The border crisis has swamped Oklahoma with an unprecedented onslaught of criminal activity,” states the brief.
“Oklahoma communities are being harmed and harassed, while its police are overburdened and overwhelmed. The state’s ‘crisis of unauthorized entry and presence is endangering Oklahomans, devastating rural, urban, and suburban communities and is severely straining even the most diligent and well-resourced state and local government entities.’”
Drummond vowed to pursue relief at the U.S. Supreme Court if the 10th Circuit fails to deliver relief.
“Oklahoma has a constitutional right to protect our citizens,” he said. “I will continue fighting against the open border policies of the Biden-Harris Administration all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if that’s what it takes to protect my fellow Oklahomans. Nothing is more important than the safety of our families and communities.”
