Tulsa labeled as a sanctuary city by FAIR

While some activists want to impose a “jungle primary” election system on Oklahoma’s legislative and statewide races, a new report indicates that this system often promotes officials who impose “sanctuary” policies protecting illegal immigrants from law enforcement, including members of violent criminal gangs.

A May report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), “Sanctuary Jurisdictions Across the U.S.,” lists the city of Tulsa among existing “sanctuary” jurisdictions nationwide.

“Sanctuary jurisdictions—states and localities that obstruct federal immigration enforcement—pose a serious threat to the safety and security of the American people,” the FAIR report stated. “What began as an effort to reassure ‘law-abiding’ illegal aliens that they could safely report crimes or assist law enforcement without fear of deportation has evolved into a scheme that protects illegal aliens, even violent criminals, from being turned over to federal immigration authorities.”

While Oklahoma state law prohibits cities from adopting sanctuary policies, enforcement of that law has been prohibited by a judge considering a legal challenge to it.

The exact number of localities providing protection to illegal immigrants via sanctuary policies has proven hard to pin down.

A recent report issued by the federal Department of Homeland Security did not include any Oklahoma locations among those embracing sanctuary policies for illegal aliens, and officials from some localities included in that federal report objected, saying their inclusion was mistaken because the policies had been repealed.

Notably, the reports cited for Cleveland County and Norman’s inclusion on FAIR’s list come from 2020 and 2021.

In contrast, the reports cited by FAIR for Tulsa are much more recent—a 2023 Tulsa Police Department policy and a December 2024 statement made by Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols during a radio interview.

Public Radio Tulsa reported that “Tulsa’s new mayor says local police won’t work with immigration officers if the federal government tries to deport undocumented immigrants not suspected of crimes.”

“The Tulsa Police Department is not a political organization meant to drive any political policy around immigration,” Nichols said.

Public Radio Tulsa reported that Nichols also said, “Looking over the shoulder of folks and asking about their immigration status is just not something that we’re ever going to be involved in.”

Public Radio Tulsa stated that an estimated 24,000 illegal immigrants reside in Tulsa County.

Nichols, a Democrat, was elected mayor of Tulsa in a “jungle primary” process that limited voters’ general-election choices to two Democrats and no Republicans or independents.

A group calling itself Oklahoma United has launched an initiative petition effort that, if ultimately approved by voters, would mandate use of California’s “jungle primary” election system in Oklahoma’s legislative and statewide races.

Officials with the group have touted the election of officials such as Nichols as an example of the proposal’s benefits since the jungle primary is used in municipal races.

“That is how we vote in every single town and city in the state of Oklahoma today,” Margaret Kobos, founder and CEO of Oklahoma United, declared at a press conference.

Public Radio Tulsa stated that an estimated 24,000 illegal immigrants reside in Tulsa County.

Under the California-style system endorsed by Oklahoma United, all candidates from all parties compete on a single “jungle primary” ballot. The top two finishers then proceed to the November ballot, even if both candidates are from the same political party.

In California, that system routinely limits voters’ November choices to members of only one political party, similar to what occurred in the Tulsa mayoral race that resulted in Nichols’ election. Nichols faced off against a fellow Democrat in the general election.

Had the “jungle primary” system been in place in Oklahoma in 2018, voters would have had their gubernatorial choices limited to two Democrats in November with no Republican option. Even though far more votes were cast for Republicans than Democratic candidates that year, those votes were split among many GOP candidates in the primary, meaning the “top two” finishers would have both been Democrats.

Researchers have noted that voter turnout for California’s elections is often among the lowest in the nation.

The FAIR report notes that officials in California, who have been elected through the jungle-primary system, have prohibited local law enforcement from working with federal immigration officials on a statewide basis.

In January, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a statement declaring that local police cannot be forced to help federal officials enforce immigration law.

A new report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that illegal immigration has been a net drain on government resources, costing billions annually across the nation.

While illegal immigrants provide an estimated $10.1 billion in annual government revenue, primarily through the payment of sales taxes, the CBO found they also generate a direct increase in spending of $19.3 billion, chiefly for public elementary and secondary education, shelter and related services, and border security.

“The result was a direct net cost of $9.2 billion in 2023, amounting to 0.3 percent of state and local spending (net of federal grants-in-aid),” the CBO reported.

Tulsa’s inclusion in FAIR’s list of sanctuary jurisdictions comes as illegal immigrants and their allies have engaged in violent protests to disrupt federal immigration enforcement efforts in California. Those protests have included physical attacks on law-enforcement officials.

During a June 8 appearance on Meet the Press, U.S. Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, said that the situation cannot be allowed to “spiral out of control.”

“People literally flying Mexican flags and saying, ‘You cannot arrest us,’ cannot be allowed,” Lankford said.

Nichols’ office did not respond to a request for comment for this article.

According to FAIR’s latest tally, as of May 2025, at least 1,003 sanctuary jurisdictions in the United States shield illegal aliens from immigration enforcement.

Only three states with anti-sanctuary laws—Arkansas, Montana, and West Virginia—were entirely free of sanctuary jurisdictions in FAIR’s report.