US Department of Justice sues Oklahoma over controversial immigration law

WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department sued Oklahoma on Tuesday over the state's new immigration enforcement law, saying it unlawfully encroaches on the federal government's power to regulate immigration.

The law, signed by Republican Governor Kevin Stitt this month, empowers state and local law enforcement officers to arrest immigrants suspected of being in the U.S. illegally. It is set to take effect on July 1.

Immigration is a top issue in the run-up to the Nov. 5 elections that will decide control of the White House and Congress as record numbers of migrants have been caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat seeking a second term, has pressed Republicans to pass a bipartisan border security bill in the U.S. Senate and blames his challenger Donald Trump for scuttling the effort.

More: Oklahoma Capitol protest over anti-immigration bill draws large crowd: 'Now make them hear you'

Republicans say Biden encouraged illegal immigration by rolling back some of Trump's restrictive border policies.

The Justice Department is also challenging Republican-championed laws in Texas and Iowa similar to the one in Oklahoma. The Texas measure was blocked by a federal judge in February and kept on hold by a federal appeals court.

In the lawsuit filed on Tuesday, DOJ said it aimed to preserve the federal government's "exclusive authority under federal law to regulate the entry, reentry, and presence of noncitizens."

What to know about Oklahoma's controversial immigration law

Under the Oklahoma law, opens new tab, a person found guilty of being in the state without legal immigration status faces a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of $500.

The person also is required to leave the state within 72 hours of conviction or release from custody.

A second offense is a felony that could result in up to two years in prison and a fine of $1,000.

Opinion: Oklahoma Republicans passed a law that police chiefs don't want to enforce

Immigrant advocates say the state-level immigration bills could encourage racial profiling.

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Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington; Additional reporting by Eric Beech in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese and Richard Chang

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: US DOJ files lawsuit over Oklahoma anti-immigrant law