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Utah governor gets behind Trump administration’s plan to ramp up deportations

By Kyle Dunphey - Utah News Dispatch | Nov 28, 2024

Trent Nelson, The Salt Lake Tribune/Pool

Gov. Spencer Cox at his monthly news conference in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 19, 2024.

Utah is gearing up to assist the incoming Trump administration’s plan to ramp up deportations, with Gov. Spencer Cox on Tuesday announcing a set of priorities to “identify, incarcerate and deport” undocumented migrants in Utah who have committed crimes.

Immigration was central to President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric and in the weeks since his victory, policies are starting to take shape.

That could include plans to use National Guard troops to help with deporations, build or expand existing detention facilities, reinstate the program known colloquially as “remain in Mexico,” which required asylum seekers to stay in Mexico until their U.S. court date, and scaling back humanitarian parole and other visa programs, according to CNN.

Trump’s immigration policies will also likely lean on state and local governments for enforcement, Stateline reports. Cox on Tuesday signaled his willingness to help.

“We’re grateful to have an administration coming in who will take these problems seriously,” Cox said in a statement.

In a news release, the governor’s office highlighted several priorities:

  • Identify undocumented immigrants in the criminal justice system.
  • Train and provide guidance to local and state authorities so they can better identify and turn over undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
  • Work with the state’s newly created fentanyl task force to identify “long-term solutions” to stop undocumented immigrants engaged in drug trafficking.
  • Work with the Utah Legislature “on a variety of policy enhancements associated with criminal behavior by illegal immigrants.”
  • Work with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to identify undocumented migrants in the criminal justice system and “reduce unreasonable federal regulations and detention standards that interfere with the ability to house criminal detainees.”

Cox said the state would continue to welcome refugees and legal immigrants, while advocating for immigration reforms, including increasing visas.

“We have zero tolerance, however, for those who demonstrate a threat to public safety while in the country illegally. Federal immigration authorities have failed in their duty to the American people and they’ve left states and localities to independently manage the fallout of those failures,” Cox said.

The announcement drew swift condemnation from the Utah Legislature’s top Democrats, who accused the governor of scapegoating undocumented communities and “equating immigration with criminality.”

“While we all want to hold criminals accountable and ensure public safety, this approach risks creating fear and misrepresenting undocumented individuals, many of whom contribute significantly to Utah’s economy, culture, and workforce. In these conversations, we must distinguish between those who commit crimes and those seeking better lives for themselves and their families,” said Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla and House Minority Leader Angela Romero, both representing Salt Lake City.

Escamilla and Romero instead encouraged policies that build trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities to encourage victims to report crimes.

“A focus solely on enforcement overlooks the need for comprehensive solutions that protect public safety while respecting the rights and dignity of all Utahns,” the statement reads. This includes humane comprehensive immigration policies and processes and addressing the root causes of crime — such as poverty, addiction, and mental health challenges — without unfairly targeting entire communities. Immigrants, regardless of status, deserve to feel safe and valued in Utah.”

The nonprofit Comunidades Unidas, which advocates for immigrant rights and connects people to social service programs, echoed the sentiment from Escamilla and Romero, telling Utah News Dispatch in a statement that the governor’s rhetoric perpetuates stereotypes and generalizes immigrant communities.

“Governor Cox’s statements threaten to further marginalize and dehumanize the broader immigrant community, which is both unacceptable and inhumane,” the group said on Tuesday, accusing the governor of spreading fear and division. “Deportation does not equate to making our communities safer; instead, it undermines the very communities that Utah depends on to flourish.”

Immigration has long been a part of Cox’s rhetoric. The governor was a staunch advocate for admitting Afghans and Ukrainians migrants fleeing war, while urging the federal government to increase visas and streamline the current processes to make legal immigration easier. In 2023, he apologized after calling Congress “imbeciles” for their inability to pass immigration reform; in February, he visited the U.S.-Mexico border with 14 other GOP governors, and deployed the Utah National Guard to help Texas authorities; and in May he told reporters ICE should build a detention facility in Utah so the agency doesn’t have to transport detained migrants to Las Vegas, which can create a backlog.

The governor recently announced a new task force aimed at curbing fentanyl distribution, a crisis he argued was fueled by the Biden administration’s immigration policies. Nearly 90% of fentanyl seizures at the border happen at legal ports of entry and about 85% of convicted smugglers are U.S. citizens, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

That task force will now be used to help the federal government deport criminals in the state illegally, including members of a Venezuelan gang called Tren de Aragua that Cox’s office said now has a presence in the state, engaging in drug trafficking, sextortion and other violent crimes.

After the governor’s announcement, House Majority Whip Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, said there will be immigration-focused legislation during the upcoming legislative session, hinting at a “package of bills to support our local communities and address the public safety impacts of the southern border crisis on Utah.”

“The bill package will prevent future victims by working to stop human and drug trafficking and deter other criminal activity that endangers Utah residents,” Lisonbee said in a statement posted to X.

Utah News Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.