Illegal immigrants to be deported under new law

Associated Press - June 14, 2009 1:15 PM ET

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A law passed by Oklahoma's Legislature will allow the state to deport illegal immigrants who already are serving prison sentences for nonviolent crimes.

The Oklahoma Criminal Illegal Alien Rapid Repatriation Act passed both houses of the Legislature with only one vote against it.

Its author, Rep. Randy Terrill of Moore, says the law, which will take effect on July 1, could save the state at least $4 million in its first year.

He says the goal of the law is to return responsibility to the federal government for paying to house illegal immigrants.

Under the law, an offender who is in the country illegally can be considered for deportation if that person has been convicted of a nonviolent crime and has served one-third of his or her sentence.

Carl Rusnok, a spokesman for the central region of the federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency, says that the federal government must issue any deportation order. He says that if an offender has pending federal charges, he or she cannot be deported.