Illegal immigration into the state of Utah has never been easier. Generations of lawmakers have enacted rules and laws permissive of rank illegality in immigrations and customs enforcement.

However, recent developments in the Utah branch of Immigration & Customs Enforcement has forced Gov. Cox to finally face the music.

In a recent speech, Gov. Cox bemoaned Utah’s illegal immigration problem and pledged support to federal Border Czar Tom Homan’s national plan to restore law and order.

The governor then authored a letter addressed to Homan and Department of Homeland Security Secretary-designate Kristi Noem pledging his support and demanding the removal of Utah’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) chief.

Additionally, several Utah lawmakers have introduced or will introduce legislation during the 2025 session to follow through on these commitments.

Our administrators must fortify legal American immigration by passing HB226 and HB183.

Illegal, But Not Undocumented

When Utah was designated a sanctuary state for illegal immigration in a 2023 ICE memo, it generated significant backlash from all leaders of Utah’s government.

Yet, in a sense, ICE was just saying what lawmakers feared to admit. Utah has gone out of its way for decades to support illegal immigrants, often on the legal taxpayer’s dime.

In Utah, illegal immigrants can legally drive. They get in-state tuition as long as they graduate from a Utah high school.

Background checks in the hiring process have been legally altered, making it significantly easier for illegal immigrants to get jobs here. Even some health insurance for certain segments of the Utah illegal immigrant population is paid for by legal taxpayers.

This is completely absurd.

American citizens are under no obligation to pay for non-citizens to live a comfortable lifestyle. Moreover, our elected officials have no mandate to provide for citizens of other countries. They should focus on taking care of Americans first.

Moving to the U.S. is not an inalienable human right. When lawmakers treat it like it is, they betray the American public by putting the interests of foreign nationals over their own constituents for whom they are responsible.

The establishment media regularly gaslights Americans on this issue by painting illegal immigrants in a relatable, if not outright sympathetic light.

When Joe Biden was president, drug smuggling across the border increased by a whopping 596%. Human-trafficking over the U.S.-Mexico border is also a huge issue.

A closed border policy would protect not only Americans, but the innocent immigrant children and women trafficked across the border every year.

It’s no secret how badly Americans want illegal immigration to be curbed.

Now, ICE surely shares the Biden Administration’s shame of being unable to halt illegal immigration from becoming endemic nationwide. Nevertheless, its 2023 memo to Gov. Cox is a timely reminder: it’s well past time for Utah to start enforcing the federal law against unauthorized entrants into the State.

The Legislature’s Plans Today

In a joint letter responding to ICE’s memo, Gov. Cox and the Utah Sheriff’s Association laid out their game plan.

Several Utah legislators have also set about to “right the ship.”

HB226 will increase the maximum jail time for a Class A misdemeanor from 364 days to one year (365 days), making it significantly easier for ICE to deport immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally and who have been convicted of a Class A misdemeanor in Utah.

The bill will also tighten bail requirements and target nonprofit organizations from subverting the law by transporting illegal immigrants into the state.

Other bills likewise focus on making it easier to deport illegal immigrants. HB183, for example, would restrict gun access for illegal migrants. This would be another key element in restricting violent crime.

Additional bills would deter the fentanyl trade, enhance  gang crime penalties and encourage more businesses to use verification software in the hiring process.

It’s hard to achieve anything of worth as a fence-sitter.

Gov. Cox, though a Republican, has some history contradicting mainstream conservative positions, and thereby his constituency. But he can do better.

As the elected executive of one of the nation’s most historically Republican states, he is uniquely situated to establish himself as a national leader on these issues.

Now is as good a time as ever for Gov. Cox to get off the bench and become the leader America’s ultra-popular conservative comeback needs.

Doing the Right Thing

Gov. Cox needs to capitalize on his leadership to take a strong stance against all illegal immigration, not just illegal immigrants who are criminals.

It misses the point to focus exclusively on deporting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes. Instead, all illegal immigrants should be deported.

Illegal immigration does more than just flout country’s sovereignty and system of laws.

It is an act of disrespect to our nation’s lifeblood of legal immigrants, deeply complicating their lives for the worse. It redirects resources away from actual American citizens and legal immigrants.

The border as it exists now endangers not only American lives but the lives of immigrants period. Legal immigration is key to preserve the sanctity of the U.S., and a closed border is the way to do that.

This is why any administrators or officials who try to prevent or circumvent deportations of illegal immigrants should be held accountable.

Our leaders cannot serve both the government and lawlessness.

The Trump administration has the right plan, and Gov. Cox is just now catching on — but it is incumbent on him to ensure that it isn’t too little, too late.

n.wright@dailyutahchronicle.com

@saximusprime