Oklahoma DPS commissioner addresses public concerns regarding state immigration law enforcement

Oklahoma Department of Public Safety Commissioner Tim Tipton will take questions from the public for the first time Tuesday regarding the state’s recent agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to enforce immigration laws.

The agreement allows specially trained state officers to work alongside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to identify, arrest and deport undocumented immigrants with criminal records.

Officials emphasized that the program will not involve random roundups of suspected undocumented immigrants.

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"My focus is on the criminal element that puts Oklahomans in jeopardy of their public safety," Tipton said. "Not those who are here working and raising a family."

A public discussion will be held at 1:30 p.m. today at DPS headquarters, where Tipton will answer questions about the state's expanded role in immigration enforcement.

"They're still here illegally, and there will be implications for that," Tipton said. "But Gov. Kevin Stitt made it clear that he recognizes that there is a need for the immigrant workforce in Oklahoma."