OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma Latino Caucus Member Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval, D-Oklahoma City, debated against HB 1362 on the House Floor today, arguing it is an unnecessary measure with constitutional concerns. 

The bill, which passed with a party line vote of 73, 16, would allow undocumented Oklahomans who are arrested for criminal violations to be automatically guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment in the Department of Corrections for no less than 5 years and be subject to a possible cash bond of $35K and deportation.

“This bill is not only un-Oklahoman, but un-American,” Alonso-Sandoval said. “We have a need in Oklahoma to fill essential jobs and when we further target undocumented Oklahomans, we reduce the number of services and taxes they provide to the state. We know that undocumented Oklahomans provide $227M in taxes annually. Not only that, but we already have several laws in place statewide and nationally that are targeting the issue of illegal immigration, making this bill unnecessary and purely political. These are individuals who are working and serving in Oklahoma and doing the best they can to provide for their families–all things we are supposed to value in Oklahoma. Bills like this threaten the very fabric of Oklahoma and put unnecessary strain on law enforcement agencies who have spoken with me on how bills like this actively make their jobs harder. It also normalizes charging an individual committing a civil violation to immediately being charged with a felony, which should scare everyone. It will make people scared to work with law enforcement which does nothing to help with our public safety. I fear for our states financial, food, and workforce security if bills like this keep passing.”

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