OKLAHOMA CITY – The State of Oklahoma is closer to finally being able to enforce its tough illegal immigration law thanks to the Trump Administration’s dismissal of the federal government’s challenging House Bill 4156.
In June 2024, the Biden Administration’s U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) successfully petitioned a federal judge to place a preliminary injunction on HB 4156. Earlier today, however, the DOJ dismissed its opposition to Oklahoma’s commonsense law.
“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.”
Enacted after Drummond worked with legislative leaders to craft the bill, HB 4156 enabled state law enforcement to detain and incarcerate illegal immigrants, many of whom wind up working in clandestine marijuana grows largely run by Mexican drug cartels and Chinese crime syndicates. The illegal operations often extend to sex trafficking and fentanyl distribution.
“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.”
Read the notice of dismissal.
