County Fight
Lost
Utah County UT — Commission Overrides Unanimous Public Opposition for 287(g)
Utah, UT
Current status: Commission approved 287(g) unanimously despite every public commenter opposing. Task Force + Warrant Service Officer models adopted Jul 16, 2025.
The Fight
On July 16, 2025, the Utah County Commission unanimously approved both Task Force and Warrant Service Officer 287(g) agreements with ICE, despite 3.5 hours of public testimony in which every single commenter opposed the agreements.
Key Testimony
- Adelaide Thiot, age 12, testified about her classmate Ashley being taken by ICE: “One day she was here laughing with us. The next day, she was just gone.”
- ACLU of Utah warned the Task Force Model could expand enforcement “beyond violent criminals”
- Commissioner Amelia Powers Gardner disclosed personal family deportation experience but voted yes, proposing contract termination if ICE violated terms
Why It Matters
This is the clearest example in Utah of the pattern where elected officials sign enforcement agreements regardless of constituent input. The Task Force Model — the most aggressive 287(g) variant, discontinued nationally in 2012 after DOJ found civil rights abuses in Arizona — was adopted over explicit community objection.
Sources
This research is published at The RAMM — investigative reporting on the detention pipeline.