Latest news with #Oklahoman
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
EDITORIAL: ICE needs to actually focus on national security
Editor's note: This editorial originally ran in fellow CNHI paper Enid, Oklahoma, News & Eagle. If the goal for Immigration and Customs Enforcement is to remove the 'worst of the worst' undocumented immigrants, we fail to see how the detainment of Oklahoman Octavio Mota meets that goal. Mota is most certainly an Oklahoman. Having immigrated with his family when he was 2, mostly growing up in Enid before a recent move to Stillwater so his fiancee could study at Oklahoma State University, Mota has been a green card-holding legal permanent resident for much of his life. While ICE used some misdemeanors to make its arrest — the kind of offenses that by all accounts probably could have been expunged by now — Mota is not the 'worst of the worst.' According to reporting from The Frontier, he's someone who works, pays taxes and was raising a family. 'Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,' President Donald Trump posted to his social media in June. 'In many cases the Criminals allowed into our Country by the VERY Stupid Biden Open Borders Policy are applying for those jobs This is not good. We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!' Yes, a lot of American industry leans heavily on immigrant labor and it's little shock that it's often jobs that many natural born Americans seem unwilling to do. Words and deeds, apparently, are very different in these cases because White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has pushed a huge quota onto ICE in an effort to make a campaign promise of 'mass deportations' a reality. The reality is that ICE is now operating like the IRS. There's a reason the IRS is more likely to audit someone making $50,000 a year than millionaire tax cheats — the people making 50K a year don't have lawyers on retainer, they can't drag audits out for years and tie up the system. ICE, in an effort to meet its quota, is going for low-hanging fruit regardless of the human cost because it's easier than infiltrating criminal organizations. Few people would argue that our borders should not be secured or that criminal gang members should not be deported. If your argument is that people should behave themselves once they come to this country, we'd argue it should be pretty easy for anyone to weigh the justice of penalizing a youthful indiscretion like public intoxication against violent crimes or trafficking. How could it not be better for society if a father remained here to raise his child, do work that others won't and contribute to the tax base? If your argument is that people should be allowed to immigrate but must do it 'the right way,' you're ignoring how increasingly and intentionally difficult that has become. When people like Mota are deported or threatened with deportation, it means Miller's agenda isn't so much about national security than it is about an effort to reduce the number of brown people in the country. We don't think that was part of the campaign promise. Solve the daily Crossword
The Hill
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
US citizen killed in Syria, State Department says
The State Department on Tuesday confirmed an American citizen was shot and killed by Syrian government forces in viral graphic footage on social media. Hosam Saraya, a Syrian American citizen of Druze descent, was murdered alongside dozens of other men being held captive by local forces in Tishreen Square, located in the center of Sweida, Syria. 'We offer condolences to the family on their loss and are providing consular assistance to them,' the State Department said in a statement to ABC News. 'We are greatly concerned when any U.S. citizen is harmed overseas, wherever they are,' the department wrote. 'The United States calls for accountability in all cases where U.S. citizens are harmed abroad.' Officials told the outlet they were 'looking into accounts of the death of an individual reported to have been a U.S. citizen in Syria,' while family and friends of Saraya confirmed his identity to ABC. The State Department did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment. Government leaders started feuding with the Druze people — the largest ethnic group in Sweida, but are considered a minority in the country — and Sunni factions within the country last week. Saraya recently returned home to care for his father after completing courses in Oklahoma, according to CNN Arabic. Oklahoma lawmakers also acknowledged his death through posts online. 'Cindy and I are heartbroken by the death of Hosam Saraya. Hosam was an Oklahoman and member of the Druze community who was tragically executed alongside other members of his family in Syria,' Sen. James Lankford (R) wrote in a Monday post on social platform X. 'We are praying for his family, friends, and the entire community as they grieve this senseless loss. May God bring peace and comfort in this time of sorrow,' he added. 'We've learned that an American citizen from Oklahoma was brutally executed alongside his family members in Syria,' Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R) wrote on X. 'I'm working with partners in the region to learn more, and we're in touch with @GovStitt on this devastating situation,' Mullin said. 'Our prayers are with the family at this time.'
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A new Trader Joe's is coming to Oklahoma; here's where
Trader Joe's has added 16 new locations to its list of stores that are "coming soon!" including a location in Oklahoma. The company operates stores across 42 states, leaving only Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Mississippi, and West Virginia without locations Nakia Rohde, a spokesperson for the Monrovia, California-based company, said it adds to the "Store Openings" tab on its announcement page "almost every month." The company had announced 21 new locations the previous time USA TODAY surveyed the page in April. Where is the new Oklahoma Trader Joe's location? The new Trader Joe's will open in Broken Arrow, according to the company. The location will be at 1451 E Hillside Dr. OKC set to open largest Trader Joe's in the state Earlier this year, Trader Joe's announced a second OKC Metro location will open at 6920 Northwest Expressway. The store is in a former Party City and is 15,534 square feet compared to the 10,000-square-foot location at 6409 Avondale Drive in the Nichols Hills Plaza, according to a filed building permit The new OKC location is set to open later this year. More: A second Trader Joe's, the largest yet in the state, coming to OKC Other recently announced Trader Joe's locations Here are the other latest future locations Trader Joe's has announced: N Bullard Ave & McDowell Rd., Goodyear, Arizona 85395 2330 Foothill Blvd., La Verne, California 91750 801 Bridgeport Ave., Shelton, Connecticut 06484 1511 Cornerstone Blvd., Daytona Beach, Florida 32117 258 City Circle, Peachtree City, Georgia 30269 2428 Napoleon Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana 70115 1165 Needham St., Newton, Massachusetts 02464 201 N Stadium Blvd., Columbia, Missouri 65203 302 NY-25A Miller Place, New York 11764 2083 NE Burnside Rd., Gresham, Oregon 97030 12812 Shops Pkwy, Bee Cave, Texas 78738 8101 Eldorado Pkwy., McKinney, Texas 75070 1895 East Rodeo Walk Dr., Holladay, Utah 84117 4060 Riverdale Rd., Suite B, Riverdale, Utah 84405 220 Constitution Dr., Virginia Beach, Virginia 23462 Steve Lackmeyer contributed to this report. (This story was updated to correct an address error.) This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: New Trader Joe's location to open in Broken Arrow, OK Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
OKC reveals design for its $1 billion new NBA arena: Here's how social media reacted
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, along with the architect behind designing the city's new $1 billion arena, unveiled conceptual images depicting a glass-encased future home for the OKC Thunder. The design of the new arena was revealed Wednesday, July 16, by architect David Manica during the 2025 State of the City address. The sold-out event was held at the Oklahoma City Convention Center, just two blocks from the site where the arena will be built. The renderings shown at the State of the City show the arena's west-facing main entrance, aligned with the Myriad Gardens, will also include a long-envisioned Thunder Alley that will provide a fan activation zone designed within the arena's footprint. See the design for the new Oklahoma City NBA arena How social media reacted to OKC's new arena designs Contributing: Steve Lackmeyer This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC reveals $1 billion arena design: How social media is reacting
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
OKC reveals design for its $1 billion new NBA arena: Here's how social media reacted
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, along with the architect behind designing the city's new $1 billion arena, unveiled conceptual images depicting a glass-encased future home for the OKC Thunder. The design of the new arena was revealed Wednesday, July 16, by architect David Manica during the 2025 State of the City address. The sold-out event was held at the Oklahoma City Convention Center, just two blocks from the site where the arena will be built. The renderings shown at the State of the City show the arena's west-facing main entrance, aligned with the Myriad Gardens, will also include a long-envisioned Thunder Alley that will provide a fan activation zone designed within the arena's footprint. See the design for the new Oklahoma City NBA arena How social media reacted to OKC's new arena designs Contributing: Steve Lackmeyer This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC reveals $1 billion arena design: How social media is reacting
