The Oklahoma State Work Permits and Visas Task Force was created by Governor Kevin Stitt via executive order after he signed a controversial immigration bill into law. Enforcement of that law, House Bill 4186, is currently under injunction and facing a lawsuit from the federal government.

In the executive order, Stitt cited “an unprecedented security crisis at the border” and a surge of “Chinese nationals and terrorist organizations” as problems that required legislative intervention.

“The current federal government has refused to responsibly issue work permits or visas to thousands of immigrants who have long filled gaps in Oklahoma’s workforce,” the governor’s order states.

The task force adopted a final report with some minor changes at its last meeting on Monday. The report contains the group’s policy recommendations for the governor and the legislature.

According to a draft of the final report, Stitt’s task force will recommend the creation of a body to help illegal immigrants navigate federal and state law and obtain legal status. The task force will also recommend the creation of an advocacy council to provide insight into the experiences and concerns of illegal immigrants.

After reviewing other states with similar programs, the task force also recommends developing a “driver’s permit card” for illegal immigrants to legally drive. There will be restrictions, and the card will not allow anyone to bypass the voter registration process.

“I think the members of the task force took it seriously and really dug deep into the issues to see what the state of Oklahoma can do,” said Sen. Michael Brooks (D-Oklahoma City), who observed the task force meeting. “And so if it means doing something that potentially increases revenue for the state of Oklahoma, reduces the number of uninsured motorists and also increases law enforcement safety, then I think it’s hard to fight that.”

Other recommendations from the Task Force include: Urging admissions boards and commissions to consider creating a smoother process for immigrants with transferable skills to obtain admission in Oklahoma.

“We learned through the task force that nearly 70 percent of noncitizens in America have advanced degrees,” said Tricia Everest, chair of the task force and secretary of public safety in Stitt’s cabinet. “These individuals work in jobs that do not recognize their education and skills.”

After the meeting, Everest said she learned a lot about the intricacies of the immigration system during her time as chair of the task force.

“I didn’t realize how outdated and restrictive the system is,” she said. “And at the same time, it’s not good from a public safety perspective. It’s not good for student recruitment or retention. It’s not good for the people who come to college for higher education because they can’t stay and use those services and get trained for the areas that we need them in. There are so many restrictions on issuing visas that are necessary to really make the American dream a reality.”

The task force has eleven members, including stakeholders from multiple government sectors and a member of the Mexican Consulate in Oklahoma City.

“When the governor issued the executive order, I thought it was a privilege that the consulate was included as a member of the task force and an excellent opportunity for us to sit at the table and voice our opinion,” said Senior Consul Edurne Pineda. “I thought it was a very ambitious measure because the framework for immigration is set at the federal level. So managing immigration without having the authority to actually make laws that affect a person’s immigration status is a big challenge.”

Pineda said her colleagues on the task force surprised her with their thoughtfulness and honesty. She believes the recommendations are a good step forward, but still realistic about the scope of what can be done.

In the long run, Brooks sees potential problems getting these measures through the legislature. He has authored a bill to allow illegal immigrants to legally drive in Oklahoma, a measure recommended by the task force, but none of his bills were considered last session.

“And as long as people want to take sides in this football game, we’re not going to get anything done,” Brooks said in an interview with the Tulsa World. “But if people want to talk about politics and actually make a difference, there are ways to stabilize this and we can show the federal government how to do it.”

Everest said she understands how politically difficult it could be for the state legislature to implement the task force’s recommendations.

“We are also very conscious that you should never think you can make big changes during a presidential election,” she said. “Despite the hard work that this group has done, we absolutely recognize that we have created a document for when things are better so that we can use the recommendations and move forward.”