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SALT LAKE CITY — Several Republican Utah lawmakers announced a series of bills to enhance criminal penalties for some drug- and gang-related crimes while cracking down on perpetrators who are in the country illegally.
The announcement came Monday, with just two weeks remaining before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in for the second time, having won an election in which he made illegal immigration a constant focus. Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, one of the top Republicans in the state House of Representatives, blamed Democratic President Joe Biden for the "chaos" at the border and expressed support for heightened penalties she said will improve public safety in the Beehive State.
"It's part of our culture to welcome people who come here to search for a better life, to work hard, obey the law and to be part of our community," Lisonbee, R-Syracuse, said at a press conference at the Capitol on Monday afternoon. "We also know that we need to act as state leaders to address the harm caused by the Biden-Harris administration's failure to act."
Trump has pledged to begin deportations of undocumented migrants as soon as he takes office on Jan. 20, and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has announced a state effort to assist the new administration in identifying candidates for deportation within Utah's criminal justice system.
The GOP lawmakers announced several bills to be introduced during the upcoming 2025 general legislative session, which will increase penalties for fentanyl trafficking, gang crimes and gang recruiting. The lawmakers, like Cox, said efforts would be focused on migrants who have committed crimes and present threats to public safety.
The proposals — some of which have yet to be released publicly — would also raise the penalty for class A misdemeanors, something the sponsor said would make it easier for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport people convicted of such crimes. Class A misdemeanors are punishable by up to 364 days in prison, but Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, said ICE officials have said they "can't deport someone who has served less than 365 days.
"Utah needs to raise the criminal penalty for class A misdemeanors to 365 days from 364 to help expedite the deportation of people who come here illegally," she said. "It's critical that we're cracking down on crime and working hand in hand with President Trump's administration to expedite the process of deporting criminals who have entered our country."
Pierucci said the legislation proposed is "really focusing on crime." She is also proposing that undocumented individuals or asylum seekers be labeled as "high flight risks" by judges who are considering bail, and to bar nonprofit organizations from "knowingly transporting undocumented individuals into Utah." The specifics of those bills have yet to be made public.
HB42, sponsored by Pierucci, would give emergency funding to schools that experience a "significant increase" in students who are learning English as a second language.
Lawmakers are also looking at cracking down on undocumented and unlicensed drivers, who they say have been involved in a growing number of vehicle collisions in the state. Claudia Adolphson, a U.S. citizen who immigrated to the U.S. from Bolivia 27 years ago, said she was rear-ended by an unlicensed and undocumented driver in October. The injuries she sustained have made her unable to work, and Adolphson said she lost her home after being stuck with thousands of dollars in medical bills.
"I really want some kind of change to happen because it could be you next, or somebody you know," she told KSL.com. "There's got to be something that needs to be done."
West Valley City Rep. Matt MacPherson has proposed increasing the penalties for driving without a license and requiring law enforcement officers to impound vehicles driven by unlicensed drivers.
Jess Anderson, Utah's public safety commissioner, said state efforts to curb the potentially deadly effects of fentanyl trafficking are already underway with a state task force to combat the spread of the synthetic opioid. He said a significant number of people arrested for narcotics possession are in the country illegally, and law enforcement "frequently encounters drug dealers from Mexico and Honduras who have been deported multiple times."
HB87, sponsored by Farr West Rep. Matthew Gwynn, adds a presumptive prison sentence for those convicted of fentanyl trafficking.
"Obviously, the challenge of fentanyl goes way beyond immigration, but there's no doubt that these drugs are coming across our porous southern border and are being peddled by transnational drug cartels and gangs who are profiting off of the addictions of Utahns," Gwynn said.
Lawmakers convene for the 45-day legislative session on Jan. 21.
