120 illegal aliens have been arrested during a large-scale enforcement action in Oklahoma near the Texas border, state officials confirmed Tuesday.
The operation was led by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, working alongside Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Dubbed Operation Guardian, the plan was launched by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt in coordination with Oklahoma’s Department of Public Safety as part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration and public safety risks.
The operation took place along Interstate 40 at a port of entry.
Troopers encountered more than 500 individuals and turned 120 over to ICE.
Most of the arrests involved drivers of 80,000-pound 18-wheelers carrying unverifiable or fraudulent licenses, according to authorities.
Department of Public Safety Commissioner Tim Tipton said the findings underscored the potential dangers on Oklahoma’s highways.
“You don’t have a minor collision with a commercial vehicle,” Tipton warned.
“An 80,000-pound truck at 70 miles an hour isn’t going to be a minor crash.”
State data shows Oklahoma currently houses about 525 undocumented offenders in its prisons, costing taxpayers $36,000 per day.
According to Operation Guardian, 30% of those crimes involve violent offenses against children, 20% involve violent assaults, 14% involve homicides or other violent deaths, and 7% involve sex crimes.
Most offenders are from Mexico, followed by Guatemala, Honduras, and Vietnam.
Gov. Stitt argued the initiative is necessary to reverse what he described as years of federal inaction on border security.
“Former President Biden’s weak border policies allowed our country to become a safe haven for criminal illegal migrants — that ends in Oklahoma with Operation Guardian,” Stitt said.
“These dangerous illegal aliens should not be walking our streets, and they soon won’t be.
“Oklahoma will continue to stand for law and order.”
The program expands ICE agreements so state and local officers can detain and transfer offenders directly into deportation proceedings.
It also empowers parole boards to send noncitizen inmates straight to federal custody if removal orders are already in place.
A Rapid REPAT program is being implemented as well, allowing eligible inmates to bypass appeals and move directly into deportation.
Tipton said the focus of the operation goes beyond immigration enforcement.
“This plan ensures Oklahoma leads the nation in cracking down on illegal aliens who’ve committed crimes against our communities,” he said.
“Operation Guardian is a direct response to the threat these criminals pose to our citizens.”
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