Steve Metzer

Tulsa World Capitol Bureau Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY — Commissioner of Public Safety Tim Tipton said Tuesday that he was shocked at the high percentage of commercial truck drivers and others contacted recently by troopers on Interstate 40 who turned out to be illegal immigrants.

“I was shocked at the number of different countries, but probably where I was the most shocked was that number — 25.9% — of contacts were not here legally — a quarter of the people that we came into contact with didn’t have legal status to be here,” Tipton said.

Tipton made the comment during a press conference held to provide details on an operation conducted Sept. 22-25 centered primarily at a mandatory “port of entry” stop for truckers on Interstate 40 just east of the Texas-Oklahoma line. Troo

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