SB 136, a bill proposed by Democrat state senator Nate Blouin, would have put restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from using face coverings or entering certain “sensitive locations,” including houses of worship.

This bill would have made federal law enforcement’s job exponentially more difficult, robbed local churches of autonomy and sent a signal that Utah’s state government tacitly condones illegal immigration. Here’s why it’s a good thing this bill is dead on arrival.

Face masks protect ICE officers

ICE is tasked with the sensitive and often thankless job of upholding and enforcing U.S. immigration law.

This job requires a certain degree of discretion. The “no face coverings” provision of SB 136 endangered the lives and livelihoods of individual ICE officers. It needlessly fearmongered the public by conflating federal law enforcement with violent gangs, encouraging the public to engage in doxxing campaigns or even physical assault.

The provision of ICE officers is, per its website, to “protect America [by] enforcing immigration laws to preserve national security and public safety.” Yet, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), assaults against ICE agents have risen by approximately 1,300% from Jan. 20, 2025, to Jan. 7, 2026.

This follows a 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks and an 8,000% increase in death threats across the same period.

Blouin’s bill made it easier for bad actors to impede and punish ICE officers by disregarding their personal privacy. The bill’s language is irresponsible and misrepresents ICE and DHS as antagonistic forces by restricting local law enforcement from assisting federal agents in designated locations, with select exceptions.

“A state or local law enforcement agency may not provide [assistance] to a federal immigration authority or […] employee for the purpose of an immigration enforcement operation in a sensitive location or a house of worship,” the bill reads. These “sensitive locations” include public libraries and government-run healthcare facilities.

ICE is not breaking any rules by exercising its legally vested authority to make targeted, warrantless arrests of illegal immigrants. Illegal immigration is a crime, and ICE must be allowed to enforce the law with minimal interference from grandstanding legislators like Blouin.

It is deeply indicative of the state of the Democratic party in Utah that Blouin was even allowed to solemnize such anti-ICE sentiment into a bill that even reached the Senate floor at all.

SB 136 vs federal law

Seen through the lens of SB 136, the personal becomes political. The bill delineated “sensitive locations” which include public libraries, government health care facilities, courthouses and houses of worship.

Creating “sensitive locations” for illegal immigrants to evade ICE agents escalates tensions in and of itself. It would turn Utah into a massive playground game as ICE officers will be prohibited from doing their jobs on certain government properties.

This provision would also likely create exigencies in government workplaces where Title VII rights could be at play, as employees would be forced to take sides on illegal immigration.

Furthermore, legislating houses of worship into ICE-free “sensitive locations” is substituting the decision-making of church leaders without their consultation. Perhaps houses of worship should be asked first before being turned into bungalows for fugitives.

Anti-ICE protestors are probably more likely to break into churches than either illegal immigrants or ICE agents anyway. This bill wants to replicate the disaster of the Minneapolis church disruption by politicizing church services that did not ask for the attention.

Blouin it out of proportion

Ultimately, it should come as no surprise that Nate Blouin is the author of this nasty bill. Blouin is one of the most consistently far-left members of the already far-left Democrat party in Utah and a frequent supporter of defunding ICE altogether.

Only several weeks ago, he declared on his public Instagram, “I’m a fan of defunding and abolishing ICE.” In another post, he refers to ICE as “Trump’s thugs” and to illegal immigrants as “our community” and requiring “places of refuge.”

These statements suggest that deporting illegal immigrants is morally wrong, but illegal immigration isn’t. Blouin’s statements and bill undermine the rule of law in Utah by implicitly condoning the deportable offense of illegally entering the United States.

Blouin’s rhetoric conflates illegal immigrants with contributing members of society and elevates bad-faith actors who shield them from the consequences of their actions. It is a good thing this bill was not passed, so that faith in local and federal law enforcement can remain intact.

It is not a crime for ICE to enforce immigration law. However, it is a crime to enter this country illegally. Utah legislators like Blouin need to get this right.

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@saximusprime