The Tulsa County Jail interpreter policy was obtained through an open records request.
Please note that in March 2009, the Tulsa County Sheriff started not allowing immigration lawyers to bring their multi-lingual staff into the David L. Moss Detention Center. This detention facility contracts with ICE to hold most of the immigration detainees in Oklahoma.
The policy was not reduced to written form until requested by me from the Tulsa County Sheriff.
The District Court of Tulsa County has an interpreter program to certify interpreters for court proceedings. Attorney visits are not court proceedings. This policy of the Tulsa County Sheriff denies immigration detainees their right access to their attorneys and their right of access to justice. Imagine if you were arrested in a foreign land and not allowed to visit with your lawyer in a language you could understand.
ICE has been notified of this policy since March 2009 but has taken no action despite it impacting the ability of attorneys to effectively represent their detained clients in immigration proceedings.