How Republican-led states far from the US-Mexico border are rushing to pass tough immigration laws

Republican-led states are rushing to give broader immigration enforcement powers to local police and impose criminal penalties for those living in the country illegally. The Oklahoma Legislature fast-tracked a bill to the governor that creates the new crime of “impermissible occupation,” which imposes penalties of as much as two years in prison for being in the state illegally. Lawmakers in Oklahoma followed the lead of Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill last year that would allow the state to arrest and deport people who enter the U.S. illegally. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed a bill requiring law enforcement agencies to communicate with federal immigration authorities if they discover people are in the the country illegally, and would broadly mandate cooperation in the process of identifying, detaining and deporting them. In Iowa, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill this month that mirrors part of the Texas law.