Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Immigration attorneys in Utah report a surge in calls over deportation fears.
- Riverton mayor emphasizes law enforcement collaboration with ICE to combat crime.
- Attorneys note increased panic among immigrants, stressing constitutional rights and status options.
RIVERTON – Immigration attorneys in Utah are reporting a huge influx of concern among undocumented people as the Trump administration is preparing to take over. Trump has called for illegal immigrants who commit crimes to be deported.
The latest message from Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs:
"If they've got criminal intent, that's the message that we want to send loud and clear: Don't come into our city. Stay out of Riverton," Staggs said. "We are going to enforce the law. If you happen to be here illegally, we'll also cooperate with ICE."
Staggs released a statement on Tuesday in which he said communities in Utah "are beginning to see a major increase in crime, including Riverton." According to him, a "significant portion" of this is due to gangs, some of which are transnational.
Staggs' claims were somewhat corroborated by data estimates made in 2023 by the Statewide Information and Analysis Center. Gang activity, including some transnational gangs, showed an upward trend, and the center predicted cities outside bordering Utah and Salt Lake counties would see an uptick in 2024.
KSL.com did report an increase in juvenile involvement within Salt Lake County in 2024, but law enforcement has not yet released complete data indicating the type of gang activity.
"Riverton city will never be a sanctuary city! The Riverton Police Department has ample resources to deploy with committed partners, including the Immigration and Customs Enforcement federal agency and other local partners to combat this major crime increase."
It's a message echoed by Utah's top political leaders and the incoming Trump administration. According to the half-dozen immigration attorneys KSL-TV spoke with, all this talk has created stress and concern among legal and illegal immigrants in Utah.
"I would say at least a 40% increase in messages," said Jake Tuimaualuga, an immigration attorney in Lehi. "Essentially nervous whether the Trump administration would remove them immediately."
The same thing is happening at the Murray law office of Steven Lawrence and his brother Jared. Both are immigration attorneys who have been practicing for over 20 years.
"Panic" is how Steven Lawrence described it.
"'What do we need to be prepared for with the Trump administration? Are we going to be deported right away?' are the big questions people are asking," Jared Lawrence said.
Even those who are here legally are nervous.
"We are going back to trying to say that all immigrants are terrorists, and therefore we have to deport them all, and we don't care who they are or what they are," Steven Lawrence said. "When you are dealing with thousands of people, it becomes hard to keep it human, to realize that these are actually lives of people."
Tuimaualuga said he helps ease the fears by telling his clients two things. First, they have constitutional rights as someone who is living in this country, and second:
"What options do you have if you're here in the U.S. undocumented?" he said. "In many cases, there is an option to fix their status here — to become lawful."
