Enforcement fueling immigrant exodus
By Devona Walker
Staff Writer
TULSA — Nowhere in the state has the immigration battlefield been more bloodied than in Tulsa. And nowhere has the exodus of Hispanic immigrants been more pronounced. Those on both sides of the argument say enforcement has been fueling the fire.
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The Tulsa County sheriff's office is the only law enforcement agency in the state to have officers trained to enforce federal immigration laws. It has detained and helped to deport more than 1,000 illegal immigrants since July.
The Greater Tulsa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce estimates that between 15,000 and 25,000 Hispanic immigrants have left the city in the last few months. Hispanic religious leaders there say they have seen their congregations reduced roughly by half.
"Some people think it's a federal issue, but so is robbing a bank. You just don't ignore it when you see it happening, if you are law enforcement,” said Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz, who has 30 officers dually trained in enforcing federal immigration law. Since July, when training was completed, his department has been delivering an average of 85 illegal immigrants per month to the Department of Homeland Security for deportation.
Arrests made by Tulsa County Sheriff's deputies have resulted in a decline in the jail population of about seven percent, or 100 inmates. Glanz says federal immigration law gives him an additional tool to get undesirables off the street.
"We are identifying and removing what we call frequent flyers, people we consider major criminals,” Glanz said, adding that he has been surprised by hesitation from other law enforcement agencies.
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