Tulsa mayor delays action on background check plan
Tulsa mayor delays action on background check plan

By Chad Previch

Published: May 26, 2007

TULSA — Language added to a hotly debated immigration resolution at the request of members of the state's congressional delegation is giving Mayor Kathy Taylor second thoughts about signing off on it, her spokeswoman said Friday.

The resolution initially directed police to check the immigration status of inmates in on felony arrests, but misdemeanor complaints were added Wednesday before the council voted.

Taylor's office said she and the council reached an agreement in committee on Tuesday that called for only those arrested on felonies to be checked.

"It seriously changed from Tuesday morning,” said Sheryl Lovelady, spokeswoman for Taylor. "Those changes will warrant further discussion between the mayor and the council.”

Councilman Rick Westcott, who added the misdemeanor language, said he never told Taylor he wouldn't propose additional language and wanted to hear what the public had to say before finalizing.

"There was no deal,” he said.

Westcott said the 2½ hours of public debate would have been a sham if a deal had already been in place.

He said U.S. Rep. John Sullivan, R-Tulsa, called him Wednesday morning asking for misdemeanors to be added. Sullivan told Westcott the addition would help police monitor the severity of Tulsa's illegal immigration problem and possibly get an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.

Westcott said he also received a letter from Sullivan and U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, and Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, requesting that the language expand to include checks on anyone police detain, including traffic stops.

Lovelady said the mayor was not the only official with concerns about adding misdemeanors on Tuesday. Taylor was unavailable for comment Friday.

The resolution probably will be delivered to Taylor's office on Tuesday. She will then have 15 working days to sign or veto it. It passed the City Council by 6-3, with councilors Jack Henderson, Maria Barnes and Roscoe Turner voting against it.

The resolution comes after the governor signed House Bill 1804, which requires jailers to determine whether foreign nationals are here lawfully.The bill's co-author, state Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, said, the state law covers felonies and certain drug and alcohol offenses.

Westcott said he felt the congressmen's request was extreme but adding misdemeanor complaints was a good compromise.