The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday dropped its lawsuit blocking Oklahoma’s House Bill 4156, which makes it’s a state crime for someone to be in Oklahoma without legal documentation to be in the country. The Biden Administration’s DOJ originally filed the lawsuit last year and got a judge to place a preliminary junction on the law from being enforced.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond defended the law in federal court.
“As we had hoped and anticipated, President Trump and the DOJ have taken action that will enable Oklahoma law enforcement to crack down on the illegal marijuana operations that have infested our state,” Drummond said. “This marks the start of a new day for public safety. The Biden Administration’s absurd opposition to HB 4156 was particularly frustrating since it was the White House’s gross negligence on border security that had made the state law so necessary in the first place.”
Drummond worked with legislative leaders to help craft the language of the bill.
“For far too long, Oklahoma law enforcement was stymied because the federal government had declined to do anything about deporting the illegal immigrants found working on these grows,” said Drummond. “The nation’s porous southern border has been a serious threat to the safety and security of Oklahomans. The sooner we can finally enforce HB 4156, the better.”
