Utah County approves 287(g)-style agreements with ICE after hours of public comment

The Utah County Commission voted July 16 to approve three memoranda of agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that formalize data-sharing and two 287(g)-style cooperative arrangements — a warrant‑service officer model for jail notifications and a task‑force model for major‑crime investigations — plus a separate IT interoperability memorandum.

Sheriff Smith told the commission the agreements largely formalize practices the sheriff's office already follows and said they are intended to improve transparency and coordination with ICE while focusing on high‑level criminal investigations. "I am here as your elected sheriff to keep the the community members, whether they be legal people or illegal immigrants, I am here to keep everybody safe," he said.

The agreements drew sustained public comment from more than 100 speakers and a packed crowd in the commission chambers. Speakers included immigrants, students, clergy, public‑health professionals, attorneys and local advocacy groups such as Indivisible Utah County and the ACLU of Utah. Critics said the pacts will chill reporting of crime, frighten children and separate families; several cited national reports and local anecdotal examples of ICE actions elsewhere. "We oppose entering into any 287(g) agreements," said Ellie Menlove, policy director at the ACLU of Utah, citing risks to…