{"id":4402,"date":"2025-02-06T11:59:47","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T11:59:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enidpost.com\/?p=4402"},"modified":"2025-02-06T11:59:47","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T11:59:47","slug":"governor-stitt-announces-operation-guardian-to-deport-undocumented-immigrants-in-oklahoma-prisons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enidpost.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/governor-stitt-announces-operation-guardian-to-deport-undocumented-immigrants-in-oklahoma-prisons\/","title":{"rendered":"Governor Stitt Announces \u201cOperation Guardian\u201d to Deport Undocumented Immigrants in Oklahoma Prisons"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Enid, OK &#8211; Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has unveiled a new initiative, &#8220;Operation Guardian,&#8221; aimed at deporting undocumented immigrants incarcerated in state prisons. The announcement came during his State of the State address on Monday, where Stitt expressed his concerns about the financial burden of housing these individuals.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Governor, taxpayers are currently footing a $36,000-a-day bill to house more than 500 undocumented immigrants in Oklahoma correctional facilities. Stitt argues that these funds could be better spent elsewhere, as he believes it is unfair for state residents to be responsible for the costs of keeping individuals who should not be in the country in prison.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOklahoma taxpayers shouldn\u2019t be paying millions of dollars a year to keep criminals incarcerated when they shouldn\u2019t be in our state to begin with,\u201d Stitt stated during his address.<\/p>\n<p>Under the new plan, local law enforcement agencies will collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to transfer undocumented offenders into federal custody. However, before this can happen, the Governor must first commute the sentences of these individuals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis plan ensures Oklahoma leads the nation in cracking down on illegal aliens who\u2019ve committed crimes against our communities,\u201d Stitt said, emphasizing that the initiative was part of the state\u2019s broader effort to address illegal immigration and its impact on public safety.<\/p>\n<p>The Governor also noted that the operation would target offenders who have already been released from prison, signaling a broader scope to ensure that those who have completed their sentences but remain in the country illegally are also held accountable.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement of &#8220;Operation Guardian&#8221; has prompted mixed reactions from state lawmakers. House Democrats, in particular, have expressed concerns about the Governor&#8217;s approach. Rep. Annie Menz (D-Norman) questioned the conflicting messages coming from the state&#8217;s leadership on issues of crime and justice, suggesting that the Governor\u2019s stance was at odds with other criminal justice policies.<\/p>\n<div class=\"flex-1 overflow-hidden @container\/thread translate-y-[1.5rem] -mt-[1.5rem] pb-[1.5rem]\">\n<div class=\"h-full\">\n<div class=\"react-scroll-to-bottom--css-rjidh-79elbk h-full\">\n<div class=\"react-scroll-to-bottom--css-rjidh-1n7m0yu\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col text-sm md:pb-9\">\n<article class=\"w-full text-token-text-primary focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-[-4px]\" dir=\"auto\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-5\" data-scroll-anchor=\"true\">\n<div class=\"m-auto text-base py-[18px] px-6\">\n<div class=\"mx-auto flex flex-1 gap-4 text-base md:gap-5 lg:gap-6 md:max-w-3xl\">\n<div class=\"group\/conversation-turn relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn @xs\/thread:px-0 @sm\/thread:px-1.5 @md\/thread:px-4\">\n<div class=\"flex-col gap-1 md:gap-3\">\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col flex-grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 whitespace-normal break-words text-start [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-5\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"0d9960b6-2a1d-4ef0-9ff3-a55bdc2c5188\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-4o-mini\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[3px]\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert light\">\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m feeling like I\u2019m understanding some conflicting messages from the leader of that party and in the state when it comes to how we view crime and justice-involved individuals,\u201d Menz said.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Cyndi Munson (D-Oklahoma City) also voiced her concerns, emphasizing that immigration is a federal issue, not one for individual states to address.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen it comes to immigration, that is a federal issue. They need to come up with a federal solution,\u201d Munson said, pushing back against the idea of a state-level intervention in immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>The launch of \u201cOperation Guardian\u201d reflects the ongoing national debate over immigration policy, criminal justice reform, and the financial costs associated with detaining undocumented individuals. While supporters of the initiative argue that it\u2019s a necessary step to protect local communities and reduce taxpayer burdens, critics contend that it oversteps state authority and calls for a comprehensive federal solution to immigration issues.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-2 flex gap-3 empty:hidden -ml-2\">\n<div class=\"items-center justify-start rounded-xl p-1 flex\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pr-2 lg:pr-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"mt-3 w-full empty:hidden\">\n<div class=\"text-center\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"absolute\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center justify-center\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"md:pt-0 dark:border-white\/20 md:border-transparent md:dark:border-transparent w-full isolate has-[[data-has-thread-error]]:[box-shadow:var(--sharp-edge-bottom-shadow)] has-[[data-has-thread-error]]:pt-2\">\n<div class=\"m-auto text-base px-3 md:px-4 w-full md:px-5 lg:px-4 xl:px-5\">\n<div class=\"mx-auto flex flex-1 gap-4 text-base md:gap-5 lg:gap-6 md:max-w-3xl\">\n<div class=\"flex justify-center empty:hidden\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative z-[1] flex h-full max-w-full flex-1 flex-col\">\n<div class=\"absolute bottom-full left-0 right-0 z-20\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"group relative z-[1] flex w-full items-center\">\n<div class=\"w-full\">\n<div id=\"composer-background\" class=\"flex w-full cursor-text flex-col rounded-3xl border border-token-border-light px-3 py-1 transition-colors contain-inline-size dark:border-none dark:shadow-none shadow-[0_9px_9px_0px_rgba(0,0,0,0.01),_0_2px_5px_0px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06)] bg-token-main-surface-primary dark:bg-[#303030]\">\n<div class=\"flex min-h-[44px] items-start pl-1\">\n<div class=\"min-w-0 max-w-full flex-1\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"_prosemirror-parent_cy42l_1 text-token-text-primary max-h-[25dvh] max-h-52 overflow-auto default-browser\">\n<div id=\"prompt-textarea\" class=\"ProseMirror\" data-virtualkeyboard=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Enid, OK &#8211; Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has unveiled a new initiative, &#8220;Operation Guardian,&#8221; aimed at deporting undocumented immigrants incarcerated in state prisons. The announcement came during his State of the State address on Monday, where Stitt expressed his concerns about the financial burden of housing these individuals. According to the Governor, taxpayers are currently [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":4405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[137],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4402","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-oklahoma"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Governor Stitt Announces \u201cOperation Guardian\u201d to Deport Undocumented Immigrants in Oklahoma Prisons - Enid Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/enidpost.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/governor-stitt-announces-operation-guardian-to-deport-undocumented-immigrants-in-oklahoma-prisons\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Governor Stitt Announces \u201cOperation Guardian\u201d to Deport Undocumented Immigrants in Oklahoma Prisons - Enid Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Enid, OK &#8211; Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has unveiled a new initiative, &#8220;Operation Guardian,&#8221; aimed at deporting undocumented immigrants incarcerated in state prisons. 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