Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Utah immigration advocates warn of increased enforcement action next week targeting immigrants at Salt Lake City's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office.
- The apparent plans are similar to efforts in other U.S. cities and are part of the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration.
- Attorneys advise immigrants to consult legal help and be aware of the possibility of being detained.
SALT LAKE CITY — Immigration advocates in Utah are warning of an imminent uptick in enforcement action targeting immigrants in the state who might not otherwise fall on the radar screen of enforcement agents.
The heightened focus, they warn, will be on immigrants going to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field office in Salt Lake City for routine interviews with immigration officials.
Such activity has occurred in other U.S. cities as part of President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, and a more far-reaching effort targeting immigrants in the country illegally started this week in New Orleans, Louisiana.
"People need to know. People need to be aware of what could happen so they can make arrangements," said Ysabel Lonazco, a West Valley City-based immigration attorney. Immigrants going to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offices for things like interviews and biometrics appointments, she said, need to be cognizant of the possibility they could be arrested and have an attorney lined up to help them.
Lonazco said she's already heard of arrests at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' Salt Lake office, while South Jordan immigration attorney Carlos Trujillo warns that the activity is expected to start increasing next week. He wants to get the word out about the expected uptick because of what he views as the injustice of targeting immigrants who are trying to normalize their migratory status.
"We need everyone to know what is happening. We need people to really be involved in this and see the inhumane side of this practice and hopefully raise their voices with their congressional representative, with their senators," Trujillo said. "Somebody needs to do something about this because the immigrant is between a rock and a hard place."
Federal immigration officials didn't immediately respond to queries Friday seeking comment. But the Trump administration has said increased moves to detain and deport immigrants in the country illegally are meant to help assure public safety. Administration officials, who early on in Trump's second term said their focus would be on immigrants who have committed serious crimes, also view immigrants in the country illegally as a drain on public resources.
The sort of immigrants with business at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offices usually don't have felony arrest records. Rather, they may have overstayed the original visa letting them enter the country, let their legal status in the country lapse or worked without authorization, according to Trujillo, and they're now trying to normalize their migratory status, allowable under U.S. law. They might even include immigrants married to U.S. citizens and others on the path to becoming U.S. citizens.
"These people did everything that the law told them to do, and now they're going to just get picked up on the minor immigration violations so that they can put them in removal proceedings," Trujillo said.
The Utah Immigrant Advocacy Coalition, which works with immigrants, took to social media on Thursday in a bid to get the word out about the expected uptick. Attorneys are doing the same.
"We have received credible reports that ICE may begin operations at USCIS in Salt Lake the way they have been in California. If you have an upcoming appointment at USCIS, we would recommend having a consultation with a licensed immigration attorney prior to your appointment and having an emergency preparedness plan in place," reads the warning.
Immigration lawyers suspect pressure from the Trump administration to increase arrests of immigrants in the country illegally factors in the apparent Salt Lake plans. Plus, those going to Citizenship and Immigration Services offices have to pass through a metal detector to enter, assuring they aren't armed, thus making potential arrests safer for immigration agents.
"I think it's easy pickings to go in USCIS," said Nicholle Pitt Young, a Murray-based immigration attorney. Moreover, enforcement actions at places like Citizenship and Immigration Services offices, she said, sends a chilling message to immigrants and might get them thinking about self-deporting, leaving the country on their own.
Numerous news outlets last month reported an uptick in immigration enforcement actions at a federal immigration facility in San Diego, California. Trujillo has heard of similar action elsewhere in California, Illinois, New York and Denver, among other places.
Lonazco advises immigrants with appointments at the immigration office in Salt Lake City to consult with an attorney. Trujillo said he has to be blunt with his clients about the possibilities, outlining the sort of conversations he's had on the specter of arrest.
"Please do not resist. They're going to handcuff you, you need to keep calm," Trujillo said. "We're going to have to go to ICE, we're going to have to go to judges. We're going to have to go to federal court to try to get you out. But if that happens, you need to keep calm, and you need to proceed accordingly."
Skipping scheduled appointments with immigration officials can complicate immigrants' applications for relief, Trujillo said. But he leaves it up to individual clients to decide whether to go through with their appointments given the circumstances.
