Oklahoma City, OK. — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in coordination with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), arrested 70 illegal aliens during a two-day operation from Oct. 28–29 as part of “Operation Guardian.” The initiative, conducted under the agencies’ 287(g) partnership, targeted illegal alien truck drivers and other offenders endangering highway safety.
According to ICE, 34 of those arrested were driving commercial vehicles illegally—26 possessing Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) issued by sanctuary states such as California, Illinois, and New York, and 8 others operating trucks with no CDL at all.
“For the second time in just the past month, the state of Oklahoma and ICE have banded together to bolster public safety along Oklahoma’s highways,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Executive Associate Director Marcos Charles. “Many of the illegal aliens arrested behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound tractor-trailer can’t even read basic English, endangering everyone they encounter on the roads.”
Governor Kevin Stitt praised the operation, saying, “Operation Guardian continues to successfully keep Oklahomans safe. To lawfully operate a commercial motor vehicle in Oklahoma, you must be here legally, and you must be able to understand English. These are common-sense standards that we will continue to enforce.”
Among those arrested was Celso Martinez Mata, 60, a previously deported criminal alien from Mexico convicted of violent crimes including battery, domestic violence, and aggravated assault. He was reportedly issued a CDL by California. Another individual, Miguel Tlatenchi, 55, also from Mexico, was arrested for driving with a California-issued CDL despite prior convictions for DWI and disorderly conduct.
In total, 36 of those apprehended were criminal aliens with prior convictions for crimes such as assault and battery, soliciting prostitution, and DUI. Two were wanted overseas for fraud and burglary. Three more were taken into custody for obstruction and resisting arrest, with immigration detainers lodged at the Oklahoma County Jail.
Those detained during the operation originated from fifteen countries, including China, Colombia, Georgia, Guatemala, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela.
ICE said “Operation Guardian” underscores the success possible when state and federal agencies cooperate to enforce immigration and public safety laws, adding that it “sends a clear message that illegal aliens who endanger the public by operating vehicles without authorization will be held accountable.”
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