Oklahoma’s Public Safety Commissioner vowed Tuesday to continue the crackdown on commercial truck drivers passing through the state without legal status.
“Moving forward, we’ll continue with these types of operations because our desire is to make sure that every Oklahoman is safe,” said Public Safety Commissioner Tim Tipton.
During a three-day operation last week conducted in conjunction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 120 people were arrested for immigration violations, Tipton said.
Troopers made 520 contacts at the port of entry along eastbound Interstate 40 in Beckham County during the enforcement blitz, dubbed Operation Guardian, Tipton said.
About 25% of the people were not in the country legally, Tipton said.
“Approximately 90% of those illegal aliens were commercial motor vehicle drivers,” Tipton said.
Those arrested came from several countries, and all had crossed the southern U.S. border, Tipton said.
Some had reentered illegally after being deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he said.
Several had final deportation orders in place and had not responded, he said.
Others had made an undetected border crossing, he said. The list of those arrested also included people who had overstayed their visas, Tipton said.
Some had prior criminal histories that included charges for money laundering, assault, driving under the influence, assault, human smuggling and drug trafficking, he said.
“Everybody was taken into custody without any resistance,” Tipton said.
Those arrested were taken to ICE offices in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, before being moved to holding facilities in Oklahoma and or Texas, Tipton said.
The vehicles the individuals were driving were impounded, he said.
“The owner of the trucking company can go to that yard and recover the truck,” Tipton said.
On Monday, Gov. Kevin Stitt said one driver had been issued a New York commercial driver’s license that listed “No Name Given” as the name.
The New York Department of Motor Vehicles said in a statement Tuesday that the license was issued in accordance with all proper procedures, including verification of the individual’s identity through federally issued documentation.
“The individual has lawful status in the United States through a federal employment authorization and was issued a license consistent with federal guidelines,” according to the statement.
“It is not uncommon for individuals from other countries to have only one name.”
Tipton said under new federal guidelines, he doesn’t believe New York will be able to continue that licensing practice.
The blitz involved 20 troopers, employees from ICE, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
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