Gov. Stitt Launches 'Operation Guardian' to Deport Unauthorized Immigrants Arrested in Oklahoma
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is launching something he calls Operation Guardian. The program aims to prepare to deport hundreds of unauthorized immigrants arrested for crimes unrelated to their immigration status.
Stitt says the move is meant to “address the presence of illegal immigrants who have committed crimes in [Oklahoma.]”
State Public Safety Commissioner Tim Tipton is leading the operation.
Tipton is ordered to work with state, county, and local law enforcement and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections to produce a plan for the deportation of unauthorized immigrants incarcerated in the state for reasons other than their immigration status.
Eventually, the incoming Trump administration will be added to the collaboration.
Tipton’s plan is due to the governor no later than Jan. 15 of next year.
Stitt’s press release points to 526 unauthorized immigrants currently housed within the State Department of Corrections, which Stitt says costs taxpayers $36,000 a day.
It’s unclear how Operation Guardian will unfold and who, exactly, it might include.
Oklahoma AG Urges Execution of Kevin Ray Underwood for 2006 Murder
Nearly two decades after Kevin Ray Underwood murdered his 10-year-old neighbor, he’s the next Oklahoman scheduled to be killed by lethal injection. Attorney General Gentner Drummond suggests the process move forward.
Underwood was sentenced to death in 2008 for murdering Jamie Bolin in Purcell two years earlier.
Underwood’s clemency hearing is set for Dec. 4.
To be granted clemency, he would need to receive a recommendation from the Pardon and Parole Board. Then, Gov. Kevin Stitt must sign off on the measure.
In a press release, Drummond asks the board not to grant him clemency. Drummond says the death penalty is the “only appropriate punishment ”.
Underwood planned the murder of his fifth-grade neighbor for several months, scheming to abduct, rape and kill her.
Pending the board’s decision, Underwood is scheduled to be killed by lethal injection on Dec. 19.
Straight-Party Voting Declines In Oklahoma
The number of straight-party voters in Oklahoma fell during the November 5th election.
Straight-party voting declined by about seven and a half percentage points.
Reporting by Oklahoma Watch shows the number of voters simply checking a box to vote for a single party’s candidates in all races dropped from more than 45% in 2020 to about 38% this year.
The party breakdown of straight-ticket voters roughly reflects the voter demographics of the state.
Oklahoma is one of only six states that have straight-party voting. Critics argue the practice discourages voter engagement, while its backers say it’s convenient.
Democratic efforts to eliminate it in the state legislature have gone nowhere in recent years.
Mattel Unveils Maria Tallchief Barbie
A new Barbie inspired by an Osage legend will be unveiled in Pawhuska Monday as part of Mattel’s newest edition to their Inspiring Women’s Series.
This Barbie is an Indigenous Ballerina.
Osage citizen and Oklahoma Native Maria Tallchief will join the ranks as a Barbie Signature doll.
Born in Fairfax, Tallchief is America’s first prima ballerina and first Indigenous ballerina. From dancing with the Paris Opera Ballet to founding the Chicago City Ballet, her list of accomplishments stretches on.
The doll features a red tulle costume that pays homage to one of Tallchief’s most iconic performances–Firebird.
Mattel officials say they worked alongside Tallchief’s daughter and the Osage Nation to sculpt the figurine in her likeness. The company will also donate to the Center for Native American Youth in Washington D.C. to honor her.
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