On Monday, Utah lawmakers convened to announce several bills addressing public safety in Utah and the southern border crisis. Legislators presented a total of 11 bills that will be introduced during this year’s legislative session. Some changes these bills make include harsher penalties for undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes related to drug dealing, increased penalties for unlicensed drivers, homeowner protections against squatters and funding for English as a second language (ESL) programs.
Immigration
Immigration is expected to be an important topic for the 2025 legislative session.
“Every state is now a border state.,” Rep. Karianne Lisonbee said.
Lisonbee pointed to immigration policies from the Biden-Harris administration, which she said are insufficient in controlling the flow of undocumented immigrants and fentanyl over the southern border. Lisonbee is introducing a bill that would expand detention facilities to accommodate expected incarcerations and deportations of illegal immigrants who have committed crimes in Utah.
Related bills sponsored by Rep. Candice Pierucci are expected to be publicly released within the next two weeks. These proposed bills would increase jail time for immigrants found guilty of Class A misdemeanors and require the deportation of undocumented immigrants after they’ve been incarcerated.
“Utah is and will remain supportive of legal immigration … but we cannot and will not turn a blind eye to the impacts of the recent surge of illegal immigration on our state, businesses and citizens,” Lisonbee said.
The University of Utah supports undocumented students primarily through the University’s Dream Center, which offers legal and financial resources for current students as well as career assistance for graduating students. The legislation proposed only applies to immigrants convicted of criminal activity, both documented and undocumented, and is not expected to target students attending the University under DACA or related undocumented statuses.
Education
Relevant to education, Pierucci highlighted a need for more Spanish-language resources for students. Pierucci represents the city of Herriman, which now houses just under 13,000 immigrants, a significant jump from 752 in 2020. Pierucci proposed using emergency funds for schools experiencing an influx of Spanish language students, with the ultimate goal of training new ESL teachers.
Drug Trafficking
Additional measures proposed by Rep. Matthew Gwynn and Sen. Brady Brammer address increased trafficking of fentanyl in Utah. The United States Drug Enforcement Agency stated that over 700,000 fentanyl pills were seized in Utah from Jan. 2023 to June 2024.
The legislators’ bills would “increase the penalty for trafficking fentanyl” and “strengthen law enforcement’s ability to disrupt the supply chain of dangerous drugs, especially fentanyl, in Utah.” The exact language of this bill has not yet been released to the public, so specific actions granted to law enforcement are not yet known.
Utah’s 2025 legislative session will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 21 and will conclude on March 25. Utah has the shortest legislative session in America, encouraging lawmakers to quickly introduce, debate and vote on bills. As of now, 99 House bills and 65 Senate bills have been announced. Bills may be introduced any time between January and early March depending on the bill’s contents.
