An Oklahoma State House of Representatives committee approved the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007 [HB 1804] that seeks to prevent undocumented immigrants from obtaining state identification and would require public employers to enter job applicants into a national electronic immigration database to verify legal status.  The bill further seeks to repeal a 2003 law that permits illegal immigrants to attend state colleges at in-state tuition levels.  The publication JURIST considers the bill to be among the toughest of illegal immigration measures for a state.  The bill is expected to pass easily in the state House, before being voted on in the Senate, and approved by the governor.  

The Oklahoma legislature has put another bill on the table to consider in the future.  The Oklahoma English Language Act [HB 1423], which would require all official business in Oklahoma to be conducted exclusively in English.  

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President Bush has requested approximately $13 billion for border controls and internal enforcement of immigration laws in the 2008 FY budget submitted to Congress last month.  The proposed request would increase border spending by $3 billion from FY 2007.  According to figures from the Migration Policy Institute, approximately $8.8 billion of the total amount requested would go to Customs and Border Protection (CPB), which would increase annual spending by $2.3 billion.  This funding would allow the CBP to hire 3,000 more Border patrol agents, and provide $1 billion for technology improvements and fencing along the border.  

The remainder of the budget the president has requested will be for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency that enforces immigration law.  The proposed ICE budged includes $78 million for training of state and local law officials to assist in enforcement.  Also proposed is a $179 million budge for the Criminal Alien Program, which seeks to deport undocumented immigrants in prison.  

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For more information on the immigration on Capital Hill, see our blog at www.visalaw.com/blog.html.

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