Utah leaders have been working with the federal government to establish clear communication regarding the presence and power of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the state.
With recent immigration enforcement conflicts between federal and state governments reaching boiling points, Utah leadership and law enforcement stressed the importance of transparency in communication.
Utah lawmakers also want to avoid the situation Minnesota is facing with ICE — one that has drawn national attention and a heavy media spotlight. Unlike Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Gov. Spencer Cox has been a proponent of keeping ICE in Utah.
Even before ICE drew national attention for its actions in Minnesota, Cox worked with the federal government to reform aspects of immigration enforcement in Utah.
Last January, Cox and several sheriffs sent a letter to border czar Tom Homan as well as Kristi Noem, who was then nominated to serve as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.
The letter contained several requests; the most eye-catching was the call for the removal of Michael Bernacke, director of the ICE Salt Lake City Field Office.
This removal was part of Cox’s larger pledge to support Trump in his deportation efforts and reform Utah’s immigration enforcement system.
While Cox expressed support for Trump’s plan, he also said in a 2024 press conference that mass deportations of millions by the hand of ICE were “not logistically possible right now.”
Though Cox wields significant influence, he is not the only player in the process. The Utah Sheriffs’ Association visited the nation’s capital in May to discuss ICE involvement in the state.
In a statement from the association released after the trip, officials expressed worry about friction between the state and ICE.
“Sheriffs had long raised concerns that previous ICE leadership in Utah lacked accountability and was unwilling to coordinate with local agencies,” the statement said.
The statement also said that, despite past issues, ICE is now more aligned with Utah’s local law enforcement and its goals.
One of the most significant changes mentioned in the statement is Utah’s introduction of 287(g) agreements with the federal government.
The 287(g) agreements are contracts between the federal government and local law enforcement, allowing for several types of power to be delegated to local law enforcement.
These agreements come in three different forms. Each form gives local law enforcement power to do different things, including the power to hold immigrants convicted of crimes before trial and execute civil immigration warrants within the confines of detention facilities.
Ten county sheriffs’ offices have signed 287(g) agreements, with Riverton included as a municipality and the Utah Department of Corrections as a state agency.
Several of these county sheriffs’ offices have signed more than one of the three available contract options under 287(g) rules. This gives law enforcement more ability to work under the oversight of ICE to conduct immigration enforcement in Utah.
More information, including the 287(g) contracts themselves, is available by clicking on the “View 287(g) Participating Agencies” button on ICE’s website.
Data show that ICE arrests in Utah have risen sharply, with 2025 seeing nearly three times as many arrests as 2024. About 50% of those detained had a criminal conviction, 27% had pending charges and the rest were held for immigration violations.