Aaron Welcher, Director of Communications for the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah Foundation (ACLU of Utah), released the following comments:
"This proposal from Gov. Cox is extreme and promotes unnecessary, complicated, and costly collaboration between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, risking due process violations and discriminatory policing. It is out of touch with who we aspire to be as a state and country," said Aaron Welcher, Director of Communications for the ACLU of Utah. "Everyone in America, no matter their immigration status, has the right to due process - Governor Cox cannot unilaterally waive that right. Infringing on the right to due process violates the Constitution, undermines civil rights, and jeopardizes public trust in law enforcement."
"Immigration detention is not criminal detention; it is a civil system meant to ensure compliance with deportation orders, not to punish. The regulations and standards that Governor Cox seeks to eliminate exist to ensure humane treatment and due process, which are fundamental protections in our democratic system. The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly made clear that, under our federal Constitution, prisons have a paramount duty to provide necessary care to incarcerated persons; this duty does not cease because of immigration status. Similarly, the Utah State Constitution imposes independent obligations to provide care to individuals in state custody," said Mr. Welcher.
