Salt Lake City leaders pressed on immigration issue as deportation talk intensifies

Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Some Salt Lake residents are pressing the City Council for a statement of support for immigrants as debate on the issue intensifies.
Salt Lake City School District officials, meantime, reaffirmed their support for a 2017 "safe schools resolution" geared to immigrant students.
The activity comes in response to President-elect Donald Trump's plans to bolster deportations and Gov. Spencer Cox's plans to back Trump.

SALT LAKE CITY — As the specter of deportations of those in the country illegally grows, leaders in Salt Lake City are taking up the issue and hearing from worried and angry residents.

The Salt Lake City Board of Education on Tuesday reaffirmed its "safe school resolution" given worries among some caused by President-elect Donald Trump's plans to boost deportations of immigrants here illegally when he takes office next month. The measure, first approved in 2017, expresses district support for all students regardless of immigration status, among other things, and commits the district to doing "everything in its lawful power" to guard against the possibility of immigration raids on schools.

Likewise, the Salt Lake City Council on Tuesday heard from numerous residents pressing for a proclamation of support from the body for the city's immigrant community. The City Council didn't take any action, but Councilwoman Eva López Chávez issued a statement expressing support for immigrants and decrying Gov. Spencer Cox's announcement late last month that he'd work with federal officials in pursuing Trump's immigration objectives.

"As the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, I know firsthand how hard the pathway to citizenship can be — and how harmful mass deportation policies are to our most vulnerable," López Chávez said in an Instagram post.

Immigration is a priority concern for Trump, a Republican, and many others worried that immigrants here illegally pose a security risk, take jobs from Americans and sap government resources. The issue helped propel Trump to victory in the presidential vote and he has vowed to pursue those here illegally and deport them. In an interview with Time magazine published Thursday, he said he considers the presence of those here illegally "an invasion of our country" and that he would tap U.S. National Guard troops for assistance.

In his Nov. 26 statement, Cox, also a Republican, said state authorities would bolster coordination with federal and local partners "to identify, incarcerate and deport more illegal immigrants who have committed crimes and pose a threat to public safety." Assuring the safety of Utah residents, Cox said, is his aim.

While many back the sort of action touted by Trump and Cox, others are leery, as indicated at this week's meetings of the Salt Lake City Council and Salt Lake School District Board.

Jenny Sika, a Salt Lake City school board member, sought Tuesday's action reaffirming the district's safe school measure due to the "fear" she's hearing from some in the community. The measure passed 7-0.

"We don't really know what the deportations will look like," Sika said. Given the uncertainty, her aim, she said, is to send a message that "this is a safe space. This is a safe school district. We are here to protect them and their families."

Parallel to Tuesday's vote, district officials recently provided school principals with a copy of information on the immigration issue crafted when the resolution was initially adopted in 2017.

"All children in the United States have a constitutional right to equal access to a free public education regardless of their parents' or their own immigration status. Immigration status also has no effect on the child's eligibility to ride the bus to school, to receive free or reduced-price lunch, to receive English language services or to receive special education services," reads the information.

The information also notes federal immigration policy restricting enforcement action at "sensitive locations," which include schools, hospitals and churches.

'A safe and welcoming community'

As Trump has not yet taken office, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall's office noted that her administration does not yet have any guidance on potential federal policy changes with regard to immigration. She didn't take part in Tuesday's City Council meeting, but KSL.com reached out to her for her take on the issue.

"However, Mayor Mendenhall has been clear — Salt Lake City will remain a safe and welcoming community for all of its law-abiding residents, and the Salt Lake City Police Department will continue to enforce the law," administration spokesman Andrew Wittenberg said Thursday. "When an individual is arrested for suspicion of a crime, their immigration status does not factor into how our officers handle a situation, nor do officers screen for immigration status when placing a person under arrest."

Meantime, the Salt Lake residents who spoke out at Tuesday's Salt Lake City Council meeting took particular aim at Cox's statement and pressed council members for a message of support for immigrants. Some also called on city leaders to direct police to forego cooperation with federal officials on immigration enforcement.

"I urge the City Council to explore and implement ways the city can use its authority and resources to protect undocumented residents. This might include establishing a legal defense fund or offering direct aid to those impacted by federal immigration actions," said Oswaldo Ponce de Leon Landa, one of several who addressed city officials. "Our undocumented neighbors are integral to our community."

While the City Council didn't respond Tuesday to the pleas put to them by the public, Wittenberg offered conciliatory words. "Salt Lake City has a long history of welcoming and supporting refugees and those seeking a better life for themselves and their families. That commitment remains a cornerstone of who we are as a community, and we will continue to uphold the values of inclusion and respect that define our city," he said.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.