Oklahoma State Immigration Law Tied Up in Court

KOSU reported on a 2024 state immigration law currently before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Oklahoma’s Immigration Law (HB 4156): Oklahoma passed House Bill 4156 in 2024, creating a new state crime called “impermissible occupation” that explicitly punishes violations of federal illegal entry and reentry laws. The law puts state officers in the position of enforcing federal immigration law without training or the protections present in 287(g) agreements.

Legal Battle and Lawyers: Lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other civil rights advocacy groups are fighting the state law on behalf of Tulsa nonprofit Padres Unidos and several anonymous plaintiffs. ACLU attorney Noor Zafar stated that her team will fight the state to the end, warning that allowing the law’s implementation would invite far more chaos into an already messy immigration policy environment.

Current Status: The law is currently paused and not in effect after the Western U.S. District Court of Oklahoma ruled in favor of Padres Unidos de Tulsa. The case is currently in the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Impact on Oklahoma: As of July 28, 2025, 1,994 people have been arrested and booked into one of 88 different local detention centers across Oklahoma and flagged for deportation by ICE. Local immigration detentions across Oklahoma have increased by nearly 200% in 2025 compared to the previous two years, mostly in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

Hopefully, the 10th Circuit upholds the federal district court finding that the law is unconstutional.