Tulsa mayor says he has no immigration deportation plans despite governor’s push
KTUL-Tulsa - December 27, 2024 6:02 am
Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols
TULSA, OKLA (KTUL) — Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols said that when President-Elect Donald Trump is back in office, there are no plans for Tulsa Police to go knocking door-to-door to find illegal immigrants.
Since Governor Kevin Stitt announced, “Operation Guardian” last month on “X” formerly known as Twitter, he’s made it clear he wants to deport illegal immigrants from Oklahoma jails once Trump is back in the White House to support his illegal immigration deportation plans.
“If you’re here chasing the American dream and working hard, we want to try and help them, get a workforce visa but if you’re breaking the law and you’re here illegally I want you out of Oklahoma and I think most people want you out of the country,” Stitt said.
Governor Stitt last week talked about his plans with “Operation Guardian.”
He said the Oklahoma Department of Corrections has 526 illegal immigrants throughout the prisons and jails that they’ve tried to give to ICE but under the Biden/ Harris Administration, nothing happened.
Once Trump is back in office, Stitt said he plans to meet with his Administration and look at each illegal inmate and decide if they should be deported or not.
“If you’re here illegally and breaking our laws, you’re going to be the first one deported out of our state,” Stitt said.
Nichols responded saying Stitt doesn’t have a plan and is just pushing our rhetoric.
“My point is that we are not going to be a city, and the Tulsa Police Department is not going to be a department that’s going to go door-to-door trying to round people up. We’re not going to target people based on their perceived status one way or another and until we have a plan in place maybe I should stop commenting on a plan because there’s not one,” Nichols said.
Nichols adds the city isn’t in the business of tracking people down based on immigration status and there’s no plan from the feds he’s received.
“The bottom line is whether you are here illegally or not if you break the law the Tulsa Police Department that’s what they’re there for no more no less so for me we’re going to continue to enforce the laws here in the city and continue to protect public safety all the things that make us what I’ve said from the start – the safest big city,” he said.
Stitt said once Trump is in office he plans to set up meetings with his administration to assist with deportation efforts here in Oklahoma.
