- Utah leaders aim to prevent chaos seen in Minnesota by collaborating with ICE.
- A poll shows 53% of Utahns disapprove of ICE tactics while 41% approve.
- Utah counties participate in ICE's 287(g) Program to improve communication and enforcement.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah leaders blamed a breakdown in communication between local and federal law enforcement for the deadly confrontations with immigration authorities in Minnesota as President Donald Trump continues his push for mass deportations.
Top policymakers promised to prevent similar chaos in Utah by collaborating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and drafting a "jurisdictional protocol" to clarify relationships between local and federal partners.
"This wouldn't happen in Utah, and it shouldn't happen in Minnesota," Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said on Monday. "They need to find a way to come together ... the state and the locals and the federal government."
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both Democrats, have vocally opposed ICE in their state. After immigration authorities shot Renée Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Saturday, federal officials blocked state investigations into their deaths.
On Monday, Trump appeared to reestablish communication through phone calls with Walz and Frey. The president also sent border czar Tom Homan to oversee operations in Minneapolis in response to deteriorating public opinion.
Majority of Utah disapproves of ICE tactics
The latest Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll found a 12 percentage-point deficit among Utah voters in approval of the tactics ICE uses.
A majority, 53%, said they disapproved of the deportation methods used by ICE and Border Patrol, while 41% said they approved and 6% didn't know.
Utah Republicans largely supported the deportation methods being used by federal agents, with 64% who approved, including 41% who strongly approved.
Meanwhile, disapproval reached 90% among Democrats, with 81% who strongly disapproved. Disapproval hit 67% among independents, with 47% who strongly disapproved.
The poll was conducted from Jan. 7-12 by Morning Consult among 799 registered Utah voters. The full sample has a margin of error of +/- 3.0 percentage points.
There have been documented shifts in the tactics used by ICE around the country and in Utah toward more street arrests of those with no criminal record, including traffic stops of suspected immigrants on their way to work.
But the reason immigration law enforcement is coming under increased pressure has more to do with who is in the White House and the way it is being covered by journalists, according to Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith.
"All of a sudden now it's a bad thing for some reason, and I think we all know what the reasons are," Smith said. "It just depends on what a media outlet wants to further the narrative."
Since the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, ICE has become the most-funded federal law enforcement agency in the country, with its budget ballooning from around $6 billion in 2015 to more than $77 billion in Fiscal Year 2026.
Increased ICE activity has been met with violent protests in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, with protesters often intentionally interfering with law enforcement operations and assaulting officers.
Utah's relationship with ICE
Utah Sheriffs Association President Tracy Glover, state Rep. Jefferson Burton and Smith told the Deseret News they believe Minnesota officials failed to establish lines of communication with the Trump administration.
"You've got leaders in Minnesota that, frankly, are not adults, and they behave like children, and they've created some of this problem," said Burton, R-Salem, who is the former head of the Utah National Guard.
"I think what's happened is just an abdication of leadership on the part of folks in Minnesota."
This month, Minnesota leaders encouraged residents to protest. This stands in contrast to the work done by Utah leaders, according to Burton.
After the 2024 presidential election, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced the state would facilitate cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE.
The governor also sent a letter to the Trump administration recommending changes to make the detention and removal of immigrants easier.
What are 287(g) programs?
Many local law enforcement agencies have made special agreements to collaborate with ICE. Washington County became the first Utah municipality to start participating in ICE's 287(g) Program in March 2025.
The county received "Jail Enforcement" authorities, enabling corrections officers to more easily identify and initiate deportation proceedings for jailed immigrants who entered the country illegally.
The county also accepted a "Task Force" designation, which ICE describes as being a "force multiplier," allowing law enforcement agencies to use limited immigration authority during regular policing.
By the end of the year, nine other Utah counties and the Utah Department of Corrections had entered "Warrant Service Officer" agreements, which allow ICE to train officers to execute warrants on immigrants in their jails.
Riverton Police Department and Utah County had also begun the "Task Force" model. Shortly after the model was adopted in Utah County during a contentious county commission meeting, Sheriff Mike Smith clarified what the program meant.
The new agreement would "provide greater access to federal data and resources to help identify individuals already in custody," Smith said. "Our deputies will not participate in immigration sweeps or workplace raids."
