House votes to deport jailed immigrants
Associated Press
March 10, 2009
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Illegal immigrants in Oklahoma prisons for nonviolent crimes would be subject to deportation under legislation overwhelmingly approved by the Oklahoma House.
In a rare late-night session tonight, House members voted 90-0 for the bill by Rep. Randy Terrill.
The Moore Republican says the bill will save the state millions of dollars in incarceration costs.
The measure allows the Department of Corrections to send illegal immigrant inmates to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The bill applies only to inmates who are incarcerated for nonviolent crimes who have served at least half their sentence in state prison.
A fierce opponent of illegal immigration, Terrill says there are 511 illegal immigrants in state prisons and 69% of them are eligible for the deportation program.
Another 157 illegal immigrants are incarcerated for violent crimes and are not eligible.
The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.
http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=9983562
