Weber County OKs accord with feds to help in the fight against illegal immigration
Jul 1, 2025, 6:39 AM | Updated: 6:42 am
Weber County has approved an accord with federal officials to aid in combatting illegal immigration. Sheriff Ryan Arbon, left, talks with then-U.S. Senate hopeful Brad Wilson at a press conference on immigration in Ogden on May 24, 2024. (Laura Seitz, Deseret News)
(Laura Seitz, Deseret News)
OGDEN — Weber County officials are the latest to approve a formal agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to bolster cooperation in identifying immigrants here illegally and enforcing U.S. immigration law.
Related: ‘I was scared’: U of U student Caroline Dias Goncalves releases statement, describes ICE detention
“There are some criminals here that need to be removed, and that’s what we’re going to do,” said Weber County Sheriff Ryan Arbon. Assuring public safety, he said, is the driving force behind the new effort.
Weber County commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding last week with immigration officials to take part in the 287(g) program, as it’s known, though the sheriff’s officials who will be directly involved still need to get training. By population of area served, the Weber County Sheriff’s Office becomes the largest law enforcement agency in Utah to reach accord with federal authorities under the 287(g) initiative, joining Washington and Sanpete counties, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Utah Department of Corrections formalized an agreement with immigration officials in May while an agreement is in the works with the Toole County Sheriff’s Office.
As part of President Donald Trump’s increased focus on tracking down and deporting immigrants here illegally, particularly those with criminal records, his administration has put a focus on increasing cooperation between federal immigration officials and local law enforcement. Under the Weber County 287(g) agreement, contemplated in the Immigration and Nationality Act, a handful of sheriff’s office officials, perhaps three to five of them, will get training in how to check the migratory status of immigrants suspected of being here illegally.
“If they are (here illegally), we arrest them, and then ICE can come pick them up if they want,” Arbon said. He envisions the effort targeting immigrants who have had prior run-ins with the the law and are already facing deportation. In years past, the sheriff’s office has also cooperated with immigration officials, though the new accord formalizes the relationship and creates extra leeway to hold immigrants subject to deportation.
