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.

The company is touting starting pay of $27 per hour for detention officers, more than $5 per hour than Oklahoma pays correctional officer recruits.

The post CoreCivic Advertises Jobs at Vacant Prisons in Watonga and Sayre appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

Hundreds gathered for a rally organized by Advocacy for Immigrants Protestors outside the Board of Education meeting on January 28, 2025, to oppose a rule asking families for proof of citizenship or legal status for enrollment. (Brent Fuchs/for Oklahoma Watch) This article was originally delivered to subscribers of our Education Watch newsletter. Sign up now to receive [...]

The post Education Watch: School Immigration Rule Advances 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.

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.

Citing a change in consular leadership, the opening has been pushed to next year, leaving Mexican Oklahomans waiting for access to much-needed services.

The post Mexican Consulate in Oklahoma City Pushed to 2023 appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

Lionel Ramos on why more than 100 Afghan refugee families in Oklahoma are living in substandard conditions. Paul Monies on the obstacles to getting recreational marijuana on the ballot. Ari Fife on why some Oklahoma schools aren't taking advantage of a federal program to extend free lunches for all their students.

The post Long Story Short: Is Oklahoma Doing Right By Afghan Refugees? appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

The nonprofit responsible for the resettlement of refugees across the state agreed to the governor’s request to resettle over 1,800 Afghans in Oklahoma last August, knowing the options available to house them were limited. Now some families live in poverty and filth.

The post Why Some Afghan Refugees in Oklahoma Live In Squalor appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

Their hopes for a new life here hinge partially on their former lives — and a scarcity of affordable legal aid.

The post Protected, For Now: The Race To Provide Afghan Evacuees With Legal Services appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

In Oklahoma, fewer people are being flagged for immigration detention. The vast majority of those detained locally stand accused of serious crimes.

The post ICE Holds Drop as Immigrant Communities, Law Enforcement Balance Policy Changes appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.