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Tuesday, Mar. 31, 2026

Is Oklahoma No. 3 in the nation for law enforcement turning people over to ICE?

Matthew Yim, Oklahoma Watch
no

There is currently no publicly available state-by-state data regarding people turned over to ICE by local law enforcement; however, a recent analysis of ICE arrest data ranks Oklahoma No. 13 and No. 5  for total ICE arrests and arrest rate per 100,000 residents, respectively. 

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, Oklahoma’s arrest rate was more than 1.3 times the national rate of 40 from May to October 2025. Forty-eight percent of ICE arrests were found to occur at local jails. 

More ICE arrests were found in states fully cooperating with the Trump administration through 287(g) agreements to deputize local law enforcement to act as ICE agents; 30 agencies in Oklahoma have signed on since Operation Guardian launched last year. 

SB 2013, filed in February, would require 287(g) agreements for every law enforcement agency in Oklahoma by September 1st.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

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