Letter To Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor

Letter

Letter To Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor

May 29, 2007

Dear Mayor Taylor,

I am writing to express my support for the resolution recently passed by the Tulsa City Council. This resolution would expand the criminal offenses for which Tulsa Police Department (TPD) officers can call the Department of Homeland Security's Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC) to report immigration violations. I firmly believe that allowing TPD to report immigration violations to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for both felony and misdemeanor offenses will help bolster our case for a permanent ICE office in Tulsa and help alleviate the strain on our communities, and local law enforcement budgets.

ICE has repeatedly expressed to me that the Tulsa area has low numbers of illegal alien apprehensions by local law enforcement because proof of legal status is often not asked for and not reported to ICE, thus depressing the perceived number of criminal illegal aliens residing in our communities. TPD is one of the largest police agencies in the state. It is a simple fact that without their help in reporting immigration violations to ICE, Tulsa can expect to have difficulty getting a permanent ICE presence and the increased federal resources we so desperately need.

As I mentioned in my letter to you on May 23, 2007, I am concerned that your initial proposal to the city council, which failed to include misdemeanor crimes, would limit the ability of TPD officers from reporting the immigration violations of individuals involved in offenses such as DUI's, hit and run accidents, simple assault, carrying a concealed weapon, or shoplifting, just to name a few.

In response to your request for information on what other cities and municipalities around the country are doing to combat the growing illegal immigration problem, I encourage you to review policies implemented in cities such as Nashville, TN, Valley Park, MO, Herndon, VA, and Farmers Branch, TX. These cities have all taken measures to fight illegal immigration. You may wish to contact officials in these cities to request information on the specific details of those immigration policies. While these individual policies may provide some ideas, it is my hope that they will assist you in implementing an immigration policy for Tulsa that strikes an appropriate balance in bringing positive reform to our city.

In addition, because you had expressed to me your difficulties in setting up a meeting with ICE, I have taken the liberty to set up a meeting with ICE officials on Thursday May 31, 2007 at 11a.m., and will be in contact with your office regarding scheduling. From this meeting, I am hopeful we can develop proposals to increase cooperation between federal, state, and local government.

Again, I encourage you to approve this important policy change to permit the TPD to report immigration violations to LESC for both felony and misdemeanor offenses. Together we can make an increased ICE presence in Tulsa a reality.

Sincerely,

John Sullivan
Member of Congress

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