For the past month, Senator Lankford (R-OK) has been working diligently on closing a loophole that is allowing foreign entities -- most of whom have criminal backgrounds or partnerships -- to purchase land in Oklahoma and other states without any review of the purchase to assure the organization is not using the land for the trafficking of drugs and people. Today, Lankford was able to officially introduce his legislature at the federal level for consideration and a vote.

Senator Lankford became aware of the land grabs when he made a trip to the border and was briefed on the rise of drug trafficking and overdoses in Oklahoma by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. After hearing about the urgency of stopping criminals having easy access to land for drug farms, Lankford immediately began crafting the Security and Oversight of International Landholdings Act (SOIL) to force the implementation of oversight and transparency of agriculatural land purchases within US borders.