Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — No single topic was discussed more during Utah Gov. Spencer Cox's monthly news conference Thursday than the issue of border security and Utah's plans to aid the incoming Trump administration in deporting people living in the country illegally in mass.
"We saw a big change this election where so many in the Latino community are worried about the impact that open borders under the Biden administration have had and we're getting a tremendous amount of support from the Latino community to get those who are committing crimes and deport them back to their country of origin," Cox said.
President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly talked about his plans to launch a mass deportation operation targeting millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally and with temporary protections once he takes office on Jan. 20, a challenging initiative that could split apart families and affect U.S. businesses.
I look forward to working with the incoming Trump administration to protect the safety of Utahns by deporting illegal immigrants who commit crimes. With adequate cooperation from ICE, we will identify, detain, and deport those who pose a threat to our communities. pic.twitter.com/CPmqkq4WXx
— Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox (@GovCox) December 18, 2024
Cox added that the issue doesn't just lie with the Latino community, either, adding that open borders have led to "dangerous elements" coming into the United States from the Middle East and China.
"It is about law and order and a country with open borders that can't deport even those who are committing crimes, then we're not much of a country at all," Cox said.
Cox said that at this point, he is unsure what mass deportations would actually look like in action, but he is eager for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem — Trump's nomination for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security — to be confirmed in that role to "start down the path" of deportations.
When asked what this plan could look like for the average migrant family, Cox answered bluntly.
"It looks like if you commit a crime, we send you out," Cox said.
It's worth mentioning that being undocumented is a crime. But Cox said he wants to focus on "criminals: people who are breaking the law and causing harm to Utahns and to Americans."
"Let's get the worst element out of here. Let's focus there. That's something we haven't been able to do and the backlog is ridiculous. It's embarrassing," Cox said.
He also sharply criticized both the Biden administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement leadership which he thinks has been too soft on immigration.
"I can't believe that this administration allowed that to happen. We have to secure the border. That's first and foremost and again, now something that there is bipartisan consensus on and President Trump will do that and we will help to do that any way we can," Cox said. "And now we start deporting those criminals. That's where this starts."
He also called ICE in Utah "broken" and said its leadership has been "embarrassing" under the Biden administration.
But after the criminals and those who are "causing harm to Utahns and Americans" are gone, would immigrants living here without legal permission who have committed nonviolent crimes be next?
Again, Cox didn't mince words.
"If you commit crimes — I don't care if they're violent or nonviolent — you should not be here. You shouldn't have been here in the first place," he said.
While Trump has said he wants to harness the National Guard to carry out these mass deportations, Cox said in Utah it would be handled by the Utah Department of Public Safety.
"This is something that should have been happening. This is something that the Obama administration did. It's something the Bush administration did. It's something the Trump administration did and it's something that the Biden administration stopped doing and that's why they lost," Cox said. "And thank goodness that we can actually get back to the way things are supposed to happen in this country."
You can watch the press conference in its entirety below:
