Gov. Stitt praises Hispanic community, says he's 'still reviewing' new immigration bill.

Though it passed both houses of the Oklahoma Legislature by a wide margin, the fate of an immigration bill remained unclear as of Friday after Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt said his office was still deciding whether or not to sign or veto the measure.

The bill, House Bill 4156, would allow state law enforcement officials to arrest those they determine are in the country without proper legal authority. The bill, carried by Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat and House Speaker Charles McCall, was requested by Attorney General Gentner Drummond.

Drummond said the legislation allows "state law enforcement officers to arrest and incarcerate illegal immigrants as a means of helping combat Oklahoma's numerous illegal marijuana grow operations."

But Friday, Stitt stopped short of saying whether or not he would sign the bill. "We are still reviewing that," Stitt said. "I think we have until next Tuesday."

At the same time he spoke about the need for a state-based immigration policy, the governor went to great lengths to praise the Hispanic community in Oklahoma, saying the community 'contributes a lot' to the state.

"They are hard working, entrepreneurial, coming here the right way," Stitt said. "So this bill is really trying to protect the migration out of Mexico. Only 18 percent who come through the southern border are Mexican nationals."

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Oklahoma, Stitt said, has had 52,000 Communist Chinese come through the southern border of the country. "We're still reviewing it (the bill) but we have to be a law and order state," he said. "You've heard me say it before: I wish the states could issue workforce visas, that we could control and understand who is in our state and contributing to our society. We want immigrants. We're a country of immigrants that have come in and want to be a part of the American Dream."

State leaders, the governor said, want to know who the immigrants are. "They have to come here legally. They have to have workforce visas. They've got to have green cards. They got to be seeking asylum, they've got to be legal. They can't just come through the southern border illegally. No country allows that. That's what we're trying to address."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt still uncertain on signing immigration bill