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Oklahoma County Jail Must House And Support ICE According To Board Of County Commissioners

The Oklahoma County Jail.
Brent Fuchs
/
The Journal Record

The Oklahoma County Board of County Commissioners voted Monday to make the local jail support and house ICE. The decision is in direct contradiction with a county jail trust decision to remove an ICE agent from the jail.

The board voted 2 to 1 to pass the motion which would require the county jail to not only house Immigration and Customs Enforcement but also give the agency full access to the jail.

The policy also requires the jail to honor ICE detention orders.

Commissioner Carrie Blumert opposed the policy. She doesn’t believe the board has the authority to decide how the jail works with ICE. She argued that power lies with the county’s jail trust.

She also said the policy should have been vetted by a board committee and the county district attorney’s office.

Commissioner Kevin Calvey suggested the policy change. He argued that the jail trust’s lease agreement requires it to comply with any county policy. Calvey and Commissioner Brian Maughan argued cooperating with ICE is the county’s legal obligation under the U.S. Constitution.

The trust voted recently to remove an ICE agent from the jail after several members determined it had no legal obligation to house the agent.

One member also said the jail’s practice of allowing ICE to be the primary interpreter for Spanish speakers was a conflict of interest.

Several citizens attending the meeting strongly opposed the board’s decision and accused Commissioners Calvey and Maughan of making the move for political reasons.

StateImpact Oklahoma is a partnership of Oklahoma’s public radio stations which relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond. Donate online.

Quinton joined the team at StateImpact Oklahoma in 2017, focusing on criminal justice reporting. He is an OSU grad with degrees in Economics and Marketing who got his start in radio at KOSU. After graduation, Quinton served as Morning Edition Host/General Assignment Reporter at KBBI Radio in Homer, Alaska and Education Reporter at KTOO Public Media in Juneau, Alaska. Quinton loves writing, reading and has an intense relationship with his Netflix account.
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