Tulsa Activists Pleased With Mayor's Response To President's Executive Order

<p>Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum is standing up to the president's executive order on immigration, saying he wants everyone in Tulsa to feel safe and welcome.</p>

Thursday, January 26th 2017, 10:48 pm

By: News On 6


Editor's note: The first version of this story incorrectly stated that Tulsa is a sanctuary city. NewsOn6.com apologizes for the error. 

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum is standing up to the president's executive order on immigration.

In a Facebook post, Bynum writes he wants everyone to feel safe and welcome in Tulsa, including immigrants.

President Donald Trump announced he wants to give local police departments the power to enforce immigration laws.

The mayor said Tulsa will not be changing its current policing practices, and local activists are grateful.

Jordan and Mimi are DREAMers - their families emigrated to the U.S. when they were just kids.

Now, they're in college, and they consider Tulsa their hometown.

"Definitely, Tulsa is my home. It's the place that I know, that I've established my connections," Jordan said.

Trump's executive order is scary for many in the immigrant community; people like activist Jose Vega.

"Sick to my stomach,” Vega said. “I got really worried for my community."

To his supporters, Trump is keeping his promise to crack down on immigration.

The executive order requires local law enforcement to hand over certain data that would help track undocumented immigrants.

The mayor made a post on his Facebook page saying Tulsa won't change any of its current policies.

1/26/2017 Related Story: Tulsa Mayor, Police Chief Respond To President’s Executive Order On Immigration

He writes, "As your mayor, it is so important to me that law-abiding Tulsans know they can call our Police when they need help. I want our immigrant community in Tulsa to feel safe, feel welcome, and feel this is a place of opportunity for future generations of their families. That is the kind of city we are focused on building."

"Ah, I was so glad," Vega said.

He said he's relieved, grateful and proud to be a Tulsan.

"It's the community. The community knows that Tulsa is a united, diverse city. And no wall is going to separate us," said Vega.

There will be a march in downtown Tulsa Friday evening called No Walls in Tulsa. You can find more information here.

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