Nine Tulsa County deputies now have authority to enforce federal immigration law during drug, gun and criminal organization investigations, after Sheriff Vic Regalado signed a new agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on July 7.

The 287(g) Task Force Model agreement marks a significant expansion of the sheriff's office relationship with ICE, moving enforcement beyond the walls of the David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center and into the field. The Tulsa County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the deal July 6, one day before Regalado signed it, according to the Tulsa Flyer.

The certified deputies include all six members of the Drug Interdiction Unit and three task force officers assigned to Homeland Security investigations. None are patrol officers.

"Our patrol deputies do not have this type of certification or authorization, and I don't see changing that ever," Regalado told the Tulsa Flyer on Aug. 19.

Under the agreement, certified personnel can interrogate anyone believed to be in the country illegally and make warrantless arrests of those entering or living in the U.S. without legal permission.

Mayor was not informed

Mayor Monroe Nichols was not told about the new agreement, according to spokeswoman Michelle Brooks, who said the mayor's focus on public safety rather than immigration enforcement "still stands."

The timing raises particular concern because the Tulsa Municipal Jail closed in late July after an investigation into seven deaths at the facility. That closure means every person arrested by Tulsa Police, for any charge, is now booked into David L. Moss, where detention officers screen all inmates for immigration status under a separate jail-based 287(g) agreement in place since June 2020.

Immigration attorney Elissa Stiles of Rivas & Associates told the Tulsa Flyer that minor violations can trigger ICE holds. "A lot of instances, it's for something extremely minor, such as on suspicion of not using a turn signal or having a broken taillight," Stiles said. Even when prosecutors decline to file charges, the booking itself is enough to place someone in ICE detention.

District 2 City Councilor Anthony Archie raised the issue at an Aug. 6 candidate forum, asking whether people booked into the county jail would face ICE engagement.

Regalado's reversal

Regalado withdrew his name from consideration for the ICE director job in May, according to KRMG. Six weeks later, he signed the Task Force Model agreement.

Twenty-eight days before signing, Regalado told the Tulsa Flyer on June 9 that he had no plans for additional 287(g) agreements beyond the jail-based model. "But for us, our part is the 287(g) program, which exists within the walls of the jail only," he said at the time.

Regalado told the Flyer on Wednesday, Aug. 19 that the Task Force agreement was not on his radar during that June interview and that he believed the earlier question was about patrol-level apprehensions.

Commissioners' vote

Only District 1 Commissioner Stan Sallee was physically present for the July 6 vote. District 2 Chief Deputy Mark Vancuren voted yes on behalf of Commissioner Lonnie Sims, and District 3 Chief Deputy Darren Gantz approved on behalf of Commissioner Kelly Dunkerley.

At least 12 other Tulsa-area law enforcement agencies have signed Task Force Model agreements with ICE in 2026, including the Bixby Police Department. As of March, Oklahoma agencies had received or were set to receive an estimated $47 million in federal funding through 287(g) agreements, the second-largest total in the country behind Florida, according to The Oklahoman.

The Tulsa Flyer has filed a public records request for all financial incentives and reimbursements provided to Tulsa County under the agreement. The county has not released those figures.