Immigrants released after US immigration officials fail to show up

CLINTON, Okla. (AP) -- Oklahoma Highway Patrol released six immigrants this week after the federal immigration officials failed to pick them up for deportation proceedings.<br><br>Troopers apprehended

Thursday, April 22nd 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

CLINTON, Okla. (AP) -- Oklahoma Highway Patrol released six immigrants this week after the federal immigration officials failed to pick them up for deportation proceedings.

Troopers apprehended six immigrants Monday after they bolted from their car after it was pulled over on a highway in Clinton County.

The men were jailed but released, because officials with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Services, were unable to pick up the men up.

"INS doesn't have enough resources to handle things like this," said Trooper Gary Smith.

Smith pulled over the 1998 Chevrolet Lumina carrying seven passengers for going 80 mph, 10 mph over the posted speed limit.

The car had Arizona license plates and the driver had a California drivers license and spoke little English.

Smith said all seven of the cars occupants were of Mexican descent. He said they had started their trip at Phoenix, Ariz., and the driver told him they were headed for Tulsa.

"I believe they probably planned to call a phone number when they got to Tulsa and somebody would pick them up," he said.

"The driver didn't know any of his passengers, and the owner of the vehicle was not present," he said. "Based on my experience, I began to think they had all entered the U.S. illegally."

Smith said none of the passengers spoke English and followed the driver's lead when he took off running after troopers stopped the car.

"They just did what the driver did, and he became scared," Smith said. "Once he began running, the rest of 'em did too."

In 2002, the immigration agency drew criticism after 23 alleged illegal were released between July and August because USCIS didn't have enough staff in Oklahoma to detain them for deportation.

U.S. Rep. John Sullivan, R-Okla., met with immigration officials, who promised to hire more agents in the summer of 2002.

At the time, four of six immigration officers in Oklahoma had been promoted or moved to other offices.