Oklahoma Watch Audio Stories Week of December 22, 2025

Do 70% of immigrants deported from ICE custody have pending criminal charges or criminal convictions, as Sen. Mullin claimed?

This report challenges claims regarding immigrant criminality, revealing that most deportees lack criminal convictions and that only a small fraction of cases are based on alleged criminal activity.

Is it legal to lower the minimum wage in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma's minimum wage could see a massive hike to $15 by 2029 if SQ 382 passes. Learn the complex relationship between state and federal labor laws.

Is Oklahoma No. 3 in the nation for law enforcement turning people over to ICE?

Oklahoma ranks among the highest in ICE arrest rates nationally as new legislation seeks to mandate local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities through 287(g) agreements.

Oklahoma's Housing Paradox: Vacant Units Everywhere, Affordable Ones Nowhere

Oklahoma has more than 220,000 vacant housing units, yet faces a shortage of 80,000 rental homes affordable to its lowest-income residents. Rising construction costs, aging housing stock and a broken financing system mean empty buildings coexist with a housing crisis — and experts say there is no single fix.

Still Waiting: Oklahoma’s Mental Health System Leaves Defendants Waiting in Jail Despite Court Order to Fix Delays

Oklahoma faces federal scrutiny as mentally ill defendants languish in county jails for months, awaiting court-ordered competency restoration treatment in a system struggling with capacity and constitutional delays.