Oklahoma recently launched a major law enforcement operation called Operation Guardian. The goal of the plan is to catch and remove illegal immigrants who are suspected of committing crimes or posing safety risks. Over 120 people were arrested during the first wave of this program, and they are now in the custody of federal immigration agents.
The arrests happened near the Texas border along Interstate 40. This highway is a major route for truck traffic. Many of the people arrested were driving large 18-wheel trucks, which weigh up to 80,000 pounds. Officials said these drivers had licenses that were expired, fake, or hard to verify. Some licenses were nearly 10 years out of date, and others had only a single name, making it hard to know who the driver really was.
Oklahoma’s Department of Public Safety Commissioner Tim Tipton said this creates a major risk. A crash involving one of these trucks can be deadly. “You don’t have a minor collision with a commercial vehicle,” Tipton said. “An 80,000-pound truck at 70 miles an hour isn’t going to be a minor crash.”
The operation was ordered by Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt. He said the plan is needed because the federal government failed to enforce immigration laws under the previous administration. “Former President Biden’s weak border policies allowed our country to become a safe haven for criminal illegal migrants — that ends in Oklahoma with Operation Guardian,” Stitt stated.
Oklahoma’s plan focuses on illegal immigrants who are already in state or county jails. According to the state, there are about 525 undocumented immigrants currently in prison in Oklahoma. The state says it spends about $36,000 per day to house them. Stitt’s plan is to move these inmates directly into federal deportation once they complete their sentences, or sooner if allowed.
The state also shared some of the crimes tied to this group. About 30% of the inmates were found guilty of violent crimes against children. Another 20% were convicted of violent assaults, 14% of homicides or other violent deaths, and 7% of sex crimes. Most of these inmates are from Mexico, with others coming from Guatemala, Honduras, and Vietnam.
To make the plan work, Oklahoma is expanding its agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This allows state and local officers to work more closely with federal agents. The plan also gives parole boards the power to send noncitizen inmates directly to ICE if a deportation order is already in place. In addition, the state will start using a program called Rapid REPAT. This lets some inmates skip appeals and be deported faster.
Tipton said the operation is not just about immigration — it’s about public safety. “This plan ensures Oklahoma leads the nation in cracking down on illegal aliens who’ve committed crimes against our communities,” he said.
The larger political impact of Operation Guardian shows a shift in how states are handling border enforcement. Under President Trump’s administration, states like Oklahoma are taking stronger action to remove illegal immigrants who are suspected of serious crimes. The move also reflects growing frustration among state leaders with how the federal government has handled immigration in the past.
By giving more power to local officers and speeding up deportations, Oklahoma is testing the limits of state authority in immigration matters. This raises questions about states’ rights and how much control states should have over immigration, which is usually a federal matter.
In the end, Operation Guardian is likely to influence how other states approach illegal immigration and public safety. For now, Oklahoma is sending a clear message: it will not wait for Washington to act. It will use its own tools to deal with illegal immigrants who break the law.
