Thursday, February 12, 2026 • Partly cloudy, warmer. Upper-60s to lower-70s. ⛅

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By Ben Fenwick, Oklahoma Watch
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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.

But what happened next landed him in jail. According to the sheriff’s office and court records, Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers responded to the accident, but then asked questions about his immigration status. He explained to them that he was in the U.S. on a legal work permit and had an asylum case pending. That’s when they arrested him.

Fan, who is Chinese, later found himself posing for a mugshot and sitting in a Sequoyah County jail cell, records show. Ted Hasse, a federal attorney working on Fan’s case, said his client faces no criminal charges — not even a traffic citation. The troopers reportedly delivered him to the Sequoyah County jail on a detainer for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Fan’s case is not an isolated incident. A key federal policy change, with robust cooperation from Oklahoma law enforcement, is transforming the state into one where detention is the default response to immigration status, regardless of a person’s documentation or whether they pose any threat or committed any crime.

“It’s such a weird turn of events for this person,” said Hasse. “First, there was the contact right where he called 911 because he’s had a rollover accident in a snowstorm. And they show up and it’s, ‘Prove your immigration status,’ which is just crazy for them to be doing.”

Fan’s case illustrates how a new federal directive is driving the arrests.

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Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.

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A hand-curated list of the best journalism from across the state:

• Trump lashes out at Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt ahead of governors’ meeting, calling Stitt a “RINO” (Gaylord News)

• Data center discussion: City Council votes to approve study of zoning codes, noise (Tulsa World)*

• Kendrick Simpson execution to draw protest at Governor’s Mansion (The Black Wall Street Times)

• Oklahoma almost had its own Alligator Alcatraz (KFOR)

• Oklahoma agents raid Garvin County marijuana grow (KTEN)

• Bedlam coming back? OU ‘ready to explore’ return of football rivalry, city mayors propose legislation (OU Daily)

• OU confirms meeting with Graduate Student Senate on removal of graduate instructor, transparency (OU Daily)

• Data breach reported at Tulsa International Airport, no impact in operations (2 News Oklahoma)

• Oklahoma lawmakers aim to subtract screen time, add physical activity in schools (Oklahoma Voice)

• Bixby Public School teacher suspended after showing black history movie (News On 6)

• The city touts its new office for families and youth as a success. But it’s fallen behind on its goals. (Tulsa Flyer)

• Deputy Chief speaks about reentry program expansion at Council meeting (Cherokee Phoenix)

• Why deceased tribal members remain on the Osage voting registry (Osage News)

• Republican Dillon Travis elected in HD 35 special election (NonDoc)

• Norman elects 4 to council, Ward 5 heads to runoff (NonDoc)

• Roundup: While 18 pass, 8 school districts see bonds fail; several mayors elected (NonDoc)

• 'We're devastated': Guthrie community mourns murder-suicide victim (KOCO)

• Family of retired Oklahoma Co. Sheriff killed in officer-involved shooting demands justice (News 9)

• 'This has got to stop': Family of Tulsa man shot by officers call for accountability (2 News Oklahoma)

• Board can’t rule out free speech violation, says Oklahoma university should build ‘goodwill’ (Oklahoma Voice)

• ‘You can’t hide from it’: Oklahoma small business owners navigate unpredictable future (The Oklahoma Eagle)

• Oklahoma City in 'preliminary exploratory discussions' to get Buc-ees store (KOCO)

By Jillian Taylor, StateImpact Oklahoma
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Oklahoma is the first state to join the federal “A Home for Every Child” initiative, which aims to achieve a foster home-to-child ratio of greater than 1:1 in every state. Federal leaders joined Gov. Kevin Stitt and Oklahoma Human Services during the Wednesday announcement.

The effort was launched by the Administration for Children and Families in November, following an executive order from President Donald Trump that requested a modernization of the child welfare system, new supports for older foster youth and increased partnerships with faith-based organizations.

It aims to recruit and retain more safe foster homes and reduce the number of kids in the system through prevention and support.

The federal division’s assistant secretary, Alex Adams, said Oklahoma has been a leader in prevention and preserving families. The state recently completed over a decade of intensive foster care reforms under the “Pinnacle Plan,” which came out of a 2012 federal class action lawsuit against the state’s treatment of children in the system.

“It builds on progress already made to improve outcomes and strengthen families across the state of Oklahoma,” Stitt said.

👉 Click here for the full story.

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