Is bill to stop transportation of 'political prisoners' through Oklahoma legal?
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — An Oklahoma state senator is trying to stop, what he calls, "political prisoners" from being transported through the state by any means, including air, land, and sea.
Sen. Nathan Dahm said he filed a bill because he feels like the federal government is violating people's rights.
"I wanted to make sure to stand up for the people that are suffering from these, what appear to be political prosecutions," he said.
The bill would prevent federal agencies from taking those people through Oklahoma, even just through the airspace.
But is this constitutional and legal?
"It is not legal," said Oklahoma attorney Robert Gifford. "Number one, the Constitution and Supreme Court have established what's called the Supremacy Clause, basically, meaning that the federal government has supreme rights over the states."
NewsChannel 8 asked Dahm if he believes his bill is unconstitutional.
"I believe that this is firmly rooted in the Constitution, especially in the 10th Amendment, that the people and the states reserved to them all rights not granted to the federal government," he said.
This is one of several bills Dahm has filed that has made headlines.
In November, he filed a self-defense law named after Kyle Rittenhouse.
NewsChannel 8 asked Dahm what he'd say to those people who think he's just trying to get attention by filing a bill like this?
"Oh, we absolutely need to be bringing attention on people that are being held as political prisoners in the United States of America," he responded.
Oklahoma Democratic Chair Alicia Andrews believes this bill is a waste of taxpayers' time.
"I don't know that he takes the legislative process as seriously as you should," she said. "It feels like he releases bills or writes bills in order just to get headlines."
Dahm's bill can be considered when the legislative session starts next month.
