- Utah leaders are offering split views amid protesting against the immigration crackdown in California and President Trump's subsequent National Guard deployment.
- Riverton Mayor Staggs condemned the "brute-force anarchy" of the protesters.
- State Rep. Angela Romero criticized federal actions as an "abuse of power."
SALT LAKE CITY — Protesting in California against the federal crackdown on illegal immigration and President Donald Trump's subsequent decision to deploy National Guard forces to quell the backlash is prompting more Utah officials to speak out.
Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, serving the Trump administration in an advisory role, issued a statement Wednesday blasting the "brute-force anarchy" he says he sees in some of the protesting.
In her own statement, Utah Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, lamented "the abuse of power" she sees in immigration agents' efforts in Los Angeles against immigrants in the country illegally and Trump's move to deploy National Guard troops.
The warring statements come amid an uptick in attention to unfolding efforts to crack down on immigrants in the country illegally in California and the backlash it's spurred from some. They also come ahead of planned protesting nationwide against Trump, including at several Utah locations, on Saturday, June 14.
Staggs, appointed last month to a regional advocacy role by the Trump administration in the Small Business Administration, issued a statement with Riverton City Council members Andy Pierucci, Troy McDougal and Spencer Haymond in response to current events.
"What we are witnessing with these riots is insurrection and brute-force anarchy. Those who are not peacefully protesting are demonstrating coordinated attacks on our nation's institutions, cities and citizens," it reads, in part. The four Riverton leaders expressed "zero tolerance" for such activity.
In his own remarks, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Tuesday said he's "sympathetic" to Trump and his response to the California protesting. Trump's decision to deploy National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles in response to protesting there has spurred backlash from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and others. They say California law enforcement authorities are managing the situation.
The Riverton officials' statement was more strongly worded than Cox's comments and went on to defend moves to deport criminal immigrants who are in the country illegally as a means of restoring order and safeguarding the U.S. public.
"Our local law enforcement officers and federal partners, including (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) deserve our respect, our gratitude and the resources necessary to keep our communities safe. They are the last line of defense against chaos. Any public official who sides with rioters over law enforcement is unfit to lead," the officials said.
In her statement, Romero, an advocate for the immigrant and Latino communities, agrees immigrants in the country illegally with "serious criminal records" should be deported. Raids that have been unfolding at workplaces by federal immigration officials in Los Angeles, though, go too far.
"These actions along with President Trump's deployment of thousands of National Guard members represent both an abuse of power and an escalation of fear within our immigrant communities," she said, referencing apparent enforcement at schools and separation of families.
"I will not stand by as the president of the United States instills fear, disappears individuals and escalates peaceful protests with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs," she said.
The anti-Trump demonstrations in Utah on Saturday as part of the No Kings initiative, spearheaded by Indivisible, a group formed in opposition to Trump, are to take place at several locations, according to the No Kings website. They include Salt Lake City, Ogden, Park City, Heber City, Provo, Price, Ephraim, Moab, Boulder, in Garfield County, Kanab and St. George.
