The Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), in collaboration with ICE, conducted a 12-hour operation on Nov. 17 along State Highway 69 in Bryan County, resulting in the arrest of 76 individuals for immigration violations. (FILE Photo provided by Oklahoma Department of Public Safety)
TONKAWA, Okla. (KOKH) — Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are conducting a large-scale operation along the I-35 corridor in Kay County.
OHP confirmed the enforcement effort is part of “Operation Guardian”, a commercial vehicle enforcement action Governor Kevin Stitt announced last year.
Operation Guardian efforts include arresting undocumented individuals, especially those who are driving commercial vehicles.
OHP confirmed troopers and ICE are also at the weigh station on the Kansas/Oklahoma border.
In November, Operation Guardian netted 76 arrests for immigration violations. Troopers also stopped 160 commercial vehicles for vehicle inspections. Seven drivers were cited for violating the national standard for English language proficiency.
In June, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced all commercial vehicle drivers had to be proficient in the English language.
During the November Operation Guardian sweep, two people were arrested near the Texas/Oklahoma border, accused of trafficking 160 pounds of marijuana.
Another Operation Guardian sweep happened in November on I-40 in the western part of the state. 70 people were arrested, 34 of whom were operating large commercial vehicles.
