Oklahoma
Chinese migrants lured to Oklahoma are labour, sex trafficking victims: official
Undocumented Chinese nationals recruited on international websites to cross into the United States are becoming victims of labour and sex trafficking, often on illicit marijuana farms run by Mexican and Chinese syndicates in Oklahoma, the state’s top law enforcement official said on Wednesday.
“These ads, in Mandarin, are thinly veiled offerings to engage in criminal activity,” Gentner Drummond, Oklahoma’s attorney general, said in testimony before the US House Homeland Security Committee in Washington.
One such advertisement “offers jobs for a ‘massage spa’ to people who are ‘able to endure hardships’ and who have ‘good hygiene’,” he said.
Drummond was participating in the Republican-led panel’s first impeachment hearing for President Joe Biden’s top border official, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, over the flow of immigrants coming across the Mexican border. He agreed with his fellow Republicans that the federal government had not done enough to control the influx.
Chinese ‘border crossers’ with ‘no future in China’ seek new life in LA suburb
Chinese ‘border crossers’ with ‘no future in China’ seek new life in LA suburb
He said that “every single case” of illegal marijuana growing being investigated in Oklahoma had some level of undocumented labour trafficking, “particularly in operations run by Chinese nationals”.
Drummond narrated what he called the “living horror” of two Chinese women investigators had found while executing search warrants related to illegal drug activity by Chinese nationals.
“Mattresses on the floor of their bedroom were littered with condoms, lotions and other unsavory supplies,” he said, adding that the women spoke no English and had been in the US for months but “could not say where they were”.
“They had not been out of the house since their arrival. They simply awoke every day, worked and went back to sleep,” Drummond said.
The hearing comes as Republicans are blocking funding for Ukraine in its war against Russian invaders and threatening to force a government shutdown as part of their efforts to “secure” the southern border. Immigration remains one of the top issues for conservative voters ahead of the presidential election on November 5.
In 2023, the US Border Patrol arrested about 2 million migrants at the US-Mexico border. During Donald Trump’s presidency from 2017-2021, the year 2019 saw the most migrant arrests at 852,000.
According to US Customs and Border Protection data, US authorities encountered more than 24,000 Chinese nationals at the US-Mexico border over the 12 months ending in October 2023. Only about 2,000 Chinese came to the southern border in the previous year, the data shows.
People who leave China often are trying to escape persecution or poverty at home, reports say, as the nation struggles to restore a measure of pre-Covid growth.
Republican-led US House votes to open impeachment inquiry into Biden
Republican-led US House votes to open impeachment inquiry into Biden
Drummond cited the execution-style murder of four Chinese nationals at an illegal marijuana farm in Oklahoma in November 2022.
The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics said at the time that close to 80 per cent of the 200 such farms shut down by between 2020 and 2022 were either run or owned by Chinese nationals.
Drummond testified on Wednesday that a “vast majority” of more than 50 “complex, multi-jurisdictional criminal cases” being investigated by Oklahoma’s Organized Crime Task Force, which was established last year, involved Mexican and Chinese drug syndicates.
TULSA, Okla — Tulsa has seen a boost in its food industry, thanks in part to a growing population.
Local News
Study shows Hispanic population boom boosting Tulsa economy
The Hispanic and Latino population has also contributed to the Oklahoma economy through restaurants, catering businesses, and food trucks.
According to a study conducted by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, the number of Hispanic and Latino individuals who have gone into the state’s food service industry has grown by more than 12,000 between 2001 and 2021.
To help continue this growth, the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation is starting up its “Lanzamiento Program” for Spanish speakers who are interested in pursuing a career in the culinary industry.
Local News
Mother Road Market hosts program for Hispanic, Latino food entrepreneurs
The classes are held in partnership with Mother Road Market for 12 weeks.
Wendy Henriquez is the owner of Sugar Crave and completed the program back in 2024.
She said it was a huge help when it came to learning the ins and outs of the industry.
It also helped her that it was all in Spanish, the language she prefers.
“All of the classes were focused on the regulations here in the United States and Oklahoma needing to be met,” she said. “In every class, we had experts talk to us about things like taking out loans, insurance, credit.”
“Wow, I mean it isn’t easy, but it’s possible,” she said. “Perseverance is important.”
Abel Aguilar is the Program Manager in charge of the Lanzamiento course.
“We believe it’s important because not only do we have a strong population of both Hispanic and Latin entrepreneurs here in Tulsa, they may not know the resources that they have available to them,” he said.
While tuition doesn’t start off as being free of charge, there are financial assistance options to help.
We Street Credit Union has also pitched in to offer funds for financial assistance so some weight can be taken off of the participant.
Aguilar also said Lobeck Taylor will work something out if finances are the only obstacle to applying.
For others interested in other resources to help kickstart their business, Avanzando Juntos is also a non-profit organization that can help.
Primarily for Spanish speakers, Avanzando Juntos helps connect business owners with grants and funding that can help eliminate some of the costs that come with starting a business.
For those interested in applying to the “Lanzamiento” Program, you can visit the Kitchen 66 website for the application.
Isabel Flores is your North & East Tulsa reporter.
Is there something you think she should know about or look into?
You can email her at Isabel.Flores@kjrh.com.
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1. Death of inmate at Oklahoma County Detention Center under investigation
Oklahoma County Detention Center.
• 33-year-old Dancing Feathers Whitecrow found unresponsive
• Taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead
• Active investigation ongoing
Officials are investigating the death of an inmate at the Oklahoma County Detention Center.
Officers found 33-year-old Dancing Feathers Whitecrow unresponsive just before 7 p.m. Sunday. She was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead. Whitecrow had been booked into the jail in April.
This remains an active investigation.
The Oklahoma County Criminal Investigations Division is investigating after Dancing Feathers Whitecrow, 33, died in custody.
2. Deadly hit-and-run in southwest Oklahoma City
• Pedestrian struck and killed near Southwest 61st and May
• Crash happened just before midnight
• No description of the vehicle yet
Oklahoma City Police are investigating a deadly hit-and-run that happened late Tuesday in southwest Oklahoma City.
One person was struck and killed by a vehicle near Southwest 61st and May just before midnight on Wednesday.
Police say they currently have no description of the vehicle involved.
3. Elderly Moore woman mauled to death by dog
• 86-year-old Beatrice Carruth found dead July 2nd
• Dog belonged to her son, who was previously arrested in a related incident
• Dog has been euthanized
An 86-year-old Moore woman was mauled to death in her home by her son’s dog.
Beatrice Carruth was found dead on July 2nd. Family members say the dog, a Labrador and American Pit Bull Terrier mix, had previously attacked her in May.
The dog was euthanized Monday.
The Moore Police Department arrived at the scene near Northeast 27th Street and Highland Drive to find a woman with severe injuries.
4. Cattle rescue after semi overturns on I-40 near Tinker
News 9
• Mayberry family from Oklahoma City Stockyards helped clear the scene
• 109 head of cattle in trailer; more than 80 survived
• Similar crashes have happened in recent years
A family of ranchers helped rescue cattle after a semi overturned on I-40 near Tinker Air Force Base.
The Mayberry family responded to the scene and worked to safely remove the animals. They say they’ve assisted with several similar crashes over the past four years.
A trailer carrying 62 head of cattle overturned Tuesday morning, leaving only a single westbound lane of I-40 open for hours as crews rescued trapped animals.
5. Attorney General Drummond sues Allstate over insurance practices
• Lawsuit accuses company of denying or underpaying wind and hail claims
• Alleges use of undisclosed restrictive standards
• Similar lawsuit previously filed against State Farm
Attorney General Gentner Drummond is suing Allstate, accusing the insurance company of running a scheme to deny or underpay wind and hail claims.
The lawsuit alleges Allstate used undisclosed restrictive standards to limit coverage for Oklahomans. Drummond says the company is putting profits ahead of policyholders.
A similar lawsuit was previously filed against State Farm.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Cleveland County District Court and alleges violations of state consumer protection and anti-racketeering laws.
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Editor’s note: We used AI tools to help with editing and formatting this story. A human journalist reviewed everything before publication.
The NCAA is not done with Oklahoma State Guard Kashie Natt and his eligibility case, based on the organization’s statement on Tuesday.
On Monday, Natt received an ex parte ruling that kept the NCAA from enforcing its decision to cancel Natt’s waiver request to play in 2026-27. That ruling, from District Judge John Canavan, allows Natt to practice with the team, participate in all team activities and participate in any athletics-related benefits.
It also bars the NCAA from punishing Natt or Oklahoma State while the case is working its way through the court.
By its nature, an ex parte ruling is made after only hearing one side of the case. The NCAA posted a statement disagreeing with the ruling, including an explanation for why they canceled the waiver and will continue to pursue the case in court.
The NCAA’s Statement on Kashie Natt
The NCAA posted the statement to social media and was signed by the organization’s chief legal officer, Scott Bearby.
“The order in the Natt case, issued without the NCAA having any opportunity to respond and by a judge not even assigned to hear the case, is demonstrably flawed and the latest instance of an environment where litigation has become a tool to avoid playing by the rules that everyone has agreed to follow. The student-athlete at issue already benefited from the ‘Pavia waiver,’ which provided him the opportunity to play for a fifth season, and nobody, including the institution where he seeks to compete next year, has ever expressed any doubt that his collegiate career ended when the Pavia waiver expired. We will pursue all remedies to seek reversal of this decision, which contributes to the instability in college sports that only Congress can solve.”
The Pavia case, which was a suit called Pavia v. NCAA, was brought on behalf of Vanderbilt quarterback Deigo Pavia, who started his career in junior college. He received a preliminary injunction in 2025 after he challenged the NCAA’s system for junior college and NCAA eligibility, saying that his juco years counting toward his NCAA eligibility irreparably harmed his ability to leverage NIL.
The NCAA ultimately conceded and granted a blanket waiver that extended an extra year of eligibility to similar athletes. The NCAA believes that bucket includes Natt. He started his career five schools year ago at Southern University-Shreveport, a junior college. He followed that with three years at NAIA LSU-Alexandria and then one more year at Sam Houston.
Natt’s attorney, Darren Heitner, contends that Natt’s NCAA clock should have started when he began his career at LSU-Alexandria and therefore has one more year to play.
The case is still pending. A new court date has not been set yet.
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