Sullivan Secures Permanent ICE Office for Tulsa
Washington,
Sep 22, 2008 -
Today, after several years of coordination with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, Congressman John Sullivan announced that he has secured a permanent ICE office for Eastern Oklahoma. The Tulsa based office will be home to a permanent Fugitive Operations Detention and Removal Unit, and could be up and running by the end of October 2008.
“After years of coordination with ICE officials, I am pleased to announce that I secured a permanent ICE office for Eastern Oklahoma” Sullivan said. “This is a tremendous victory for the rule of law and public safety across Eastern Oklahoma. We will now have a permanent Fugitive Operations Detention and Removal Unit on the ground in Tulsa that will focus on locating, arresting, and removing violent fugitive and criminal illegal aliens, including transnational street gang members and child sex offenders from our community.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) established the first Fugitive Operations Teams in 2003 to expand the agency’s efforts to locate, arrest, and remove fugitives from the United States. ICE’s Fugitive Operations Teams give top priority to cases involving aliens who pose a threat to national security and community safety, including members of transnational street gangs, child sex offenders, and aliens with prior convictions for violent crimes. It is estimated by ICE that there are 570,000 fugitive aliens who remain at large in the United States.
“It is no secret that gang violence is a major problem in Tulsa, and one of the biggest obstacles we face in revitalizing some of our more economically depressed areas” Sullivan said. “Having a permanent Fugitive Operations Unit on the ground in Tulsa will go a long way toward putting transnational alien street gang members on notice that their days of harming our community and evading the law are over.”
Since elected to office, Congressman Sullivan has fought to bring more interior immigration enforcement resources to Eastern Oklahoma. Previously, he was able to help increase the number of ICE agents in Oklahoma City from four to twelve, and secured the Tulsa Country Sheriff’s office participation in the federal 287(g) immigration training program. Congressman Sullivan has also worked extensively with law enforcement agencies across the First District to ensure that criminal illegal aliens are reported to federal authorities.
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