1. United States
2. Utah
3. Letter

I am writing to demand the permanent removal of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations from Utah. Two fatal shootings by ICE agents this week demonstrate that ICE presence makes our communities less safe, not more secure. On Wednesday, 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. In a separate incident, another person was fatally shot by ICE agents. These two deaths in one week reveal a pattern of lethal force that has no place in our communities. Dozens of Utahns gathered at Pioneer Park in Salt Lake City to protest these killings and call for ICE to leave our communities. State Senator Nate Blouin joined protesters in stating that ICE doesn't need to be in our communities and has made other communities less safe. This assessment reflects what we are witnessing nationwide as ICE operations continue to result in tragedy and family separation. As speakers from the Utah State Progressive Caucus emphasized at the protest, documentation of these incidents is critical. We must ask ourselves what happens in communities when no one is filming. How many other families have been torn apart by ICE actions that never receive public scrutiny? Local business owners like Matt Caputo of Caputo's Market and Deli understand what is at stake. Caputo, whose great-grandparents were Italian immigrants, whose maternal grandparents were immigrants, and whose wife is an immigrant, provided free snacks and drinks to protesters. He emphasized that regardless of one's stance on immigration policy, we must reflect on how our country treats human beings. I am calling on you to take immediate action to remove ICE from Utah permanently. This means opposing any state cooperation with ICE operations, refusing to provide state resources or facilities for ICE use, and advocating at the federal level for the dissolution of this agency. Two deaths in one week demand justice, including prosecution of the agents responsible, but they also demand systemic change. Utah families deserve communities where they feel safe, not terrorized by federal agents whose presence has proven dangerous.