17 Illegal Immigrants Arrested

Monday, June 25th 2007, 6:20 am

By: News On 6

Seventeen people are in the Tulsa County jail after a van, smuggling illegal immigrants, is stopped in Tulsa. It started as a traffic stop when an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper pulled a van over because one of its headlights was out shortly before 12:30 a.m. Monday. That was on Interstate 44 just west of 41st Street.

Inside the van, OHP troopers found 13 males and 4 females. The driver of the van told OHP troopers all of the vanâ€™s passengers were in the U.S. illegally. Troopers say the driver said the group was actually a family from Mexico, which he had picked up in Las Vegas, Nevada and was passing through Tulsa on his way to Chicago. OHP troopers say the driver indicated he too was an illegal.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol arrested the driver and the other 16 people from inside the van. Troopers say all 17 will all stay at the Tulsa County jail until the federal government decides what to do next. "This is something I've never seen before. This is my first time with this type of situation. I know some of the TPD officers have dealt with it before, but I don't know to this extent," says OHP trooper Shaun Vann.

The van had Illinoisâ€™ license plates, but the driver did not have a drivers license. Troopers say while the group of 17 was packed into an 8-passenger van, all appeared to be in good condition.

Watch the video: Traffic Stop Leads To Immigration Arrests