Red-state governor talks tough on immigration, saves cheap labor

Despite an unrelenting invasion for over three years, red states have been slow to strengthen laws against illegal immigration. Some of it might be due to fear of judicial interference. Much of it, however, is the result of a complicated relationship between most Republican special interests and cheap labor.

So it was a pleasant surprise when the Oklahoma legislature swiftly passed the toughest anti-illegal-immigration law in the nation — one that fully criminalizes illegal presence within the state and gives the invaders 72 hours to leave. Unfortunately, Governor Kevin Stitt’s plans for the law show why it faced so little opposition.

HB 4156 requires every illegal alien to leave. Stitt made a mockery of the law the minute he signed it.

Stitt last week signed House Bill 4156, making the Sooner State the first in the nation to outlaw residency without first obtaining legal admission to the country. The first offense, if caught in the state illegally, is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $500 fine. Subsequent offenses are considered felonies punishable by up to two years in prison and a $1,000 fine. In both cases, the offender must leave the state within 72 hours of release from jail or prison and is not allowed to return.

The law passed without a single Republican dissent in either chamber. Republicans control the House 81-20 and the Senate 40-8.

If enforced, the law would compel offenders to leave the state whether or not the individual was arrested for committing another crime. It’s model legislation for other red states. The trouble is with the expectation of enforcement.

Kevin Stitt has long been a proponent of illegal aliens, even as he criticizes Biden for his open-border policies. As recently as last legislative session, Stitt and his allies were pushing for driver’s licenses for illegal aliens. So it came as something of a shock when Stitt signed HB 4156.

Or maybe not. At the very moment he signed the law, Stitt announced a task force to “explore opportunities for those here contributing to our communities and economy.”

The executive order establishing the task force stipulates, “House Bill 4156 is not aimed at the honest, hardworking Hispanic or other international migrant populations here chasing the American dream, enhancing our communities, economies, and way of life, and otherwise significantly contributing to Oklahoma’s tapestry.”

You might suppose Stitt is referring only to legal immigrants because he artfully avoids the adjective “illegal” throughout the order. But on closer inspection, the order calls for the task force to recommend ways “for immigrants here … to secure work permits, work visas, or similar documentation permitting them to remain for established timeframes without separation from their families or livelihood.”

Suffice to say, legal immigrants don’t need visas and work permits because they already have them.

Stitt’s executive order would have the task force find ways to provide essentially every major industry in Oklahoma with cheap labor from the illegal alien population.

It would be one thing if HB 4156 tacked on the crime of illegal residency only for people arrested for other crimes. Stitt could harmonize enforcement of that law with a parallel effort to promote non-criminal aliens.

But that isn’t what the law says. HB 4156 requires every illegal alien to leave. Stitt made a mockery of the law the minute he signed it.

Stitt is a perfect example of the lawlessness of certain Republican politicians who speak one way about the border invasion to inveigh against Biden while they act another way to protect cheap labor. They want an endless supply of illegal workers from the Third World and are willing to ignore laws while promoting every straw-man Democrat talking point about their “honest” contributions to our way of life (even though every one of them breaks the law and usually steals identities).

From now until Election Day, you will hear every Republican governor condemn Biden’s immigration policies. But just know that many of them privately root for the success of those policies while denouncing them as a cynical campaign ploy.