The Utah House has approved a bill that would facilitate the automatic deportation of immigrants convicted of violent misdemeanors. The bill, if passed, would require county law enforcement to coordinate with ICE before releasing immigrants from jail. The bill aims to align Utah with federal immigration policy and streamline the deportation process for convicted immigrants.
The bill, HB226, passed in a vote of 62 to 9, with bipartisan support. It would reverse a 2019 law that reduced the maximum sentence for a class A misdemeanor by one day, making it difficult to deport immigrants under federal policy. The bill would focus on deporting immigrants convicted of “crimes against persons,” such as domestic abuse, assault, and DUIs.
The bill addresses various steps in the criminal justice process to improve data collection on immigrant-related crimes. It would give judges the presumption that individuals are a flight risk for bail if they are not lawfully present in the country and require law enforcement to coordinate with federal immigration authorities before releasing immigrants charged with certain offenses.
The bill has support from 86% of Utah voters, according to a December poll. It will now move to the Senate for consideration. Senate leaders emphasized the importance of keeping communities safe and clarified that the bill is meant to target violent criminals, not immigrant communities as a whole. There is consensus among lawmakers about limiting deportation efforts to those convicted of crimes in Utah.
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