Ben Fenwick

Ben Fenwick is a Norman-based journalist and contributor to Oklahoma Watch. Contact him at ben.fenwick@gmail.com.

Local & Regional

More than 30 Oklahoma agencies sign immigration enforcement agreements

Ben Fenwick, Oklahoma Watch

ICE's plans got a major boost from the state of Oklahoma last year when Governor Kevin Stitt announced "Operation Guardian," which deputized members of the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, and the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety to carry out immigration enforcement on behalf of ICE.
Local & Regional

Inside the ICE detention system: How Oklahoma facilities use legal limbo to pressure deportations

Ben Fenwick, Oklahoma Watch

After the Oklahoma Highway Patrol arrested Yingchao Fan following a rollover accident on Interstate 40, he sat in Sequoyah County jail despite facing no criminal charges, not even a traffic citation. County officials held him for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Local & Regional

Oklahoma becomes ICE arrest hub as federal policy drives enforcement explosion

Ben Fenwick, Oklahoma Watch

When Yingchao Fan's car rolled over on Interstate 40 in Sequoyah County during January's snowstorm, he did what anyone would do: he called 911 for help.
Local & Regional

Broken promises and broken ceilings: renters discover Oklahoma’s weak tenant protections

Ben Fenwick, Oklahoma Watch

When Tynesia Omopariola moved back to Oklahoma after living in Los Angeles for a decade, she thought she was getting such a break in rent from L.A.’s astronomical rates when she found Izzy Apartments in Oklahoma City.