Last month, Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced a state initiative to support the incoming Trump administration’s efforts to deport undocumented immigrants. He elaborated on this announcement at his monthly news conference on Thursday, Dec. 19, stating that he had received significant support from the Latino community.
“Actually, it is the Latino community that is been asking for this,” Cox told me. “The election resulted in significant change… and we are receiving tremendous support from the Latino community to apprehend those who are committing crimes and deport them to their home country.”
The governor also raised broader concerns about border security, claiming that dangerous individuals from the Middle East and China have taken advantage of weaknesses in immigration enforcement.
“And so this is not just about the Latino community,” he replied. “It is about law and order.”
Cox framed the initiative as a matter of public safety and bipartisan consensus, claiming that his left-wing allies had said the same thing. He repeatedly stated that specific plans had yet to be finalized, pending Kristi Noem’s confirmation as a key member of the Trump administration.
“This is something we have been wanting to do for years,” Cox explained. “We just have not had an administration or an ICE leadership that has been willing to do the hard work that needs to be done.”
The governor expressed frustration with ICE, stating that for years, ICE has claimed that it lacks the resources to address the backlog of immigrants in state jails. Because of this, Cox explained that deportations would be overseen by the Department of Protective Services.
And when asked what this would entail for the average immigrant, Cox was very specific.
“It looks like, if you commit a crime, we send you out,” he told me. “I do not care whether it is violent or nonviolent. “You should not be here.”
The governor reiterated that being undocumented is a crime, but undocumented immigrants are not the state’s top priority.
Cox also expressed doubt about the “mass deportations” that President-elect Trump has repeatedly claimed will occur, saying he would return to the topic once a real plan was in place.
“I do not see any scenario under which 20 million people can be deported,” he stated. “That is just not logistically possible right now when we can not even deport somebody breaking the law down the street.”
