OK Freedom Caucus dismisses media effort to drive wedge with Gov. Stitt over task force report

OKFC Responds to Misleading Reporting on Governor Stitt and Task Force Recommendations

OKLAHOMA CITY (September 10th) – The Oklahoma Freedom Caucus (OKFC) commented on a recent report from KOCO, which, in the headline and byline, falsely suggested a rift between OKFC and Governor Kevin Stitt over the Oklahoma State Work Permits and Visas Task Force. While members of OKFC, including Senator Shane Jett, Senator Dusty Deevers, and Representative Jim Olsen, raised valid concerns about the Task Force’s recommendations, their criticisms pertained to the Task Force report and any future laws based on it, not Governor Stitt.

“Contrary to the KOCO reporting, there is no rift between the Freedom Caucus and Governor Stitt,” the OKFC said. “Each caucus member spoke as an individual legislator, and no coordinated caucus response was made. As Senator Jett noted in the article, these were individual views, not an official OKFC position. We stand by our members’ freedom to express their concerns, which center on the Task Force's terrible proposals, not the Governor’s leadership.” Author of the article, Andy Webber, responded to our inquiries regarding the report’s posture and maintained his line of approach claiming, “The week before, the Governor’s press team set up interviews with multiple local outlets touting the proposals. From our perspective, that’s a difference of opinion.”

The concerns with the Task Force’s recommendations raised by the members are well-founded. The Task Force references immigration policies from states like Utah, which has been labeled a “sanctuary state” by ICE, seeks to give away citizenship to 60,000 immigrants, gave Driver Privilege Cards to illegal immigrants, has loosened E-Verify requirements, repealed a law making English the sole language on government documents, and has given access to a plethora of state benefits to law-breaking foreigners at the expense of the taxpayers. These policies have led to the erosion of state laws meant to protect citizens, expanded benefits to illegal immigrants, and weakened the enforcement of federal immigration laws. 

While some of the Task Force’s recommendations may appear focused on legal immigration, there are serious concerns about their goals with the involvement of individuals with leftist leanings—such as Krystal Reyes, formerly of a left-wing congressional organization, and Rosa Diaz, who presented to the committee that “[t]he aim is to implement a state-level work permit program that offers undocumented immigrants a legal pathway to work and live in Oklahoma” (emphasis ours).

Further, Oklahoman citizens and legal immigrants should not have to foot the bill for programs that make it easier for law-breaking foreigners to live and work in our state, especially at a time when securing the border and upholding the rule of law should be our top priorities.

“While these problems with the report are serious, any comments made by Freedom Caucus members were specific to the content of the report, of which Governor Stitt was not a contributor,” the OKFC said. “This tactic by KOCO to attempt to create drama was evident even at Tuesday’s Freedom Caucus launch during the press conference when their reporter immediately attempted to coax Senator Jett into naming names of Freedom Caucus opponents before any action was even taken by the caucus. Members of our caucus have had great working relationships with Governor Stitt, and we expect that to continue. As Sen. Jett explained, we do not yet know every legislator which will be supportive of our Freedom agenda, though it seems evident by these recent attempts that some in the media appear eager to oppose the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus and our efforts to put Oklahoma citizens first. While we are used to such ‘journalism’ from partisan national media, we are incredibly disappointed to see this sort of false reporting from local news.”

As Constitutionalists, the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus does not oppose legal immigration. We celebrate those who follow the legal path to citizenship and contribute to the strength of our great State. However, we cannot support Task Force recommendations that blur the line between legal and illegal immigration or risk putting Oklahoma on the slippery slope toward becoming a sanctuary state for these law-breaking foreigners.

“Despite our concerns, we remain committed to working with Governor Stitt and our fellow lawmakers to ensure that Oklahoma’s policies prioritize our citizens, serve its legal residents, protect local jobs, and uphold the rule of law,” the OKFC said.