Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Lawmakers advance a bill restricting firearm possession by certain migrants in Utah.
- Rep. Trevor Lee claims the bill targets gang activity, citing Venezuelan gang presence.
- A critic argued it contradicts GOP gun rights ethos and targets immigrants unfairly.
SALT LAKE CITY — Lawmakers moved ahead with a bill to restrict migrants seeking political asylum or on temporary protected status from possessing firearms, a proposal its Republican sponsor said will help crack down on gang activity.
Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, cited the presence of Tren de Aragua — a Venezuelan criminal organization — in Utah in his presentation to a legislative committee Thursday. He argued the bill closes a "loophole," implying that it will make it easier for law enforcement to go after migrants who possess weapons.
"This will have a massive impact on that," Lee said, when asked if it would help fight organized crime. "You have had individuals who are using our system against us to come, and then possess, potentially, a firearm and say, 'Hey, you know, I can have it because I'm an asylum seeker.'"
Utah law enforcement officials say that while there are some Tren de Aragua gang members in the state, their presence is not extensive.
Undocumented migrants are currently barred from possessing dangerous weapons, but Lee's bill would broaden the category of restricted persons to include migrants who are awaiting adjudication on applications for asylum or in the country on a temporary protected status — both of which are legal paths to enter the country.
The proposal would make those migrants Category I restricted persons — on par with those who have been stripped of their right to carry firearms after being convicted of a violent felony or for possessing a Schedule I or II controlled substance.
HB183 coordinates with a separate firearms bill allowing 18-year-olds to openly carry loaded weapons in most places in the state to codify who is considered a restricted person. That bill passed the House earlier this week and is up for consideration by the Senate.
The bill got unanimous support from members of the House Judiciary Committee after a relatively quick hearing, during which only one member of the public commented to criticize Lee for limiting firearm access to migrants — saying it's out of step with the gun rights ethos of the GOP.
"So, this bill violates the gun control logic of its own supporters, and it doesn't promote safety. Then what does it do?" asked Jeril Bills, a Spanish Fork resident. "It gives people who don't like immigrants one more way to have them deported. I believe that's what this bill is really about."
Republicans in the Legislature have made illegal immigration a priority and are running a series of bills to address fentanyl trafficking, organized crime, detention capacity and foreign wire transfers before the session ends March 7.
HB183 now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.
