The number of people deported without a criminal history continues to rise in Oklahoma. But as local law enforcement leaders enter into new ICE agreements, they say they are trying to take a nuanced approach in line with their community needs

The post Oklahoma’s Small-Town Police Take Federal Immigration Role appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

Federal regulations mean some refugee students in Oklahoma are getting more support than others.

The post Refugee Students Face the Same Hurdles But Get Different Levels of Support appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

Latino legislators are launching a political action committee to educate Latino voters about civic life and fund Latino candidates for elected office in local and state government. Others in the Latino community are working on parallel initiatives toward the same end: make the Latino voice louder in Oklahoma politics.

The post Plan Set to Engage More Latinos in Oklahoma Politics appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

Hossain Ahmadi and Zahra Eyvazi fled Afghanistan in 2022 with student visas, which means they don’t qualify for the same resettlement benefits as their approximate 1,850 Afghan counterparts who landed in the state with humanitarian parole a year before. And while others in Oklahoma's Afghan community qualify for a two-year extension to their parole status, the couple is racing to file for asylum before their visas expire at the end of this year.

The post Asylum Relief Elusive for Two Afghan Scholars-at-Risk appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

The number of students hit by educators in Oklahoma schools each year has reduced significantly in recent decades, but disparities still exist when it comes to race and disabilities in the small rural places where it’s allowed.

The post In Oklahoma, School Educators Hit Native, Black and Students with Disabilities the Most appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

Debt collections lawsuits are not only the most common type of civil litigation in the state, but are disproportionately brought upon low-income Oklahomans of color, which perpetuates a cycle of financial instability among the most vulnerable people in the state

The post Minority Oklahomans Disproportionately Sued Over Debt appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

Hosted by Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, and members of the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, the study revealed how existing inequities in Oklahoma related to housing, employment and means of accessing government assistance programs exacerbated the challenges of resettling Afghans when they began arriving in September 2021.

The post Afghan Refugee Resettlement Highlights Inequities for All Vulnerable Oklahomans appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

A business decision made by the Oklahoma Department of Veteran’s Affairs to close the Talihina Veterans Center means the residents living there are forced to vacate the place they consider home, even after political backlash and a so-called “pause” to the closing operations.

The post What a State Business Decision Means For Veterans in Talihina appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

The new Rural Emergency Hospital license is meant to rescue financially distressed rural hospitals. The arrangement comes with a sacrifice only two Oklahoma community hospitals have been willing to make.

The post Why Most Oklahoma Rural Hospitals Haven’t Accepted Congress’ Offer to Save Them appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

An audit released Tuesday found millions of questionable expenditures in federal grant programs during fiscal year 2021, including early pandemic relief programs.

The post Auditor: Oklahoma Spent Millions of Federal Dollars Incorrectly appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.