Oklahoma attorney general appeals immigration law injunction
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond on Wednesday appealed a court order putting the state’s controversial immigration law on hold. A federal judge in June put the measure on hold pending the outcome of a legal challenge. Drummond filed his appeal with the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. House Bill 4156 creates a new crime called “impermissible occupation” for willfully entering the state without legal authorization to be in the United States. The first offense is a misdemeanor punishable by one year in county jail and a fine of up to $500 or both. The person would be required to leave the state within 72 hours. A second offense is a felony with up to two years in prison, a fine of $1,000 or both. In granting the injunction, the judge wrote that the state law is likely preempted by federal law.