Brigham Tomco covers Utah’s congressional delegation for the national politics team at the Deseret News. A Utah native, Brigham studied journalism and philosophy at Brigham Young University. He enjoys podcasts, historical nonfiction and going to the park with his wife and two boys.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox reaffirmed the state's current approach to immigration as state lawmakers consider clashing proposals amid national tension over Trump administration deportation tactics.
The Republican-led Legislature has launched the 2026 general session with bills on whether to further restrict access to jobs, welfare, housing, transportation, transactions and elections for immigrants.House majority leadership has been less vocal on the issue of immigration than they were last year, when they championed a package of bills seeking to remove obstacles for immigration authorities in Utah.But this year House members are "getting much more pressure from the federal side to do something," according to Rep. Trevor Lee, who is the sponsor of the immigration bills receiving the most pushback.In an interview with the Deseret News, Utah's governor said the state has already established a track record of immigration policies that combine public safety with strong communities — and he intends to preserve that posture."In Utah, we believe in two things. We believe in the rule of law, and we believe in treating everyone with dignity and respect," Cox said. "We've done a good job of trying to balance those two things. We'll continue to work to do so." Gov. Spencer Cox answers interview questions in his office on the opening day of the 2026 legislative session at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Jan. 20. New Utah poll on immigrationWhen asked to rate President Donald Trump's first year back in office, Cox praised his action at the border. The Biden administration had told governors it could not shut down illegal crossings. "Turns out that was not true," Cox said.Last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that in December, the agency released zero immigrants into the country, marking the eighth consecutive month with no releases amid record-low border encounters nationwide."I think with any administration, it's been a mixed bag," Cox said. "We needed a president who was serious about protecting our borders, and President Trump has certainly done that, and we're grateful for his leadership there."Cox did not mention the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign, which flooded Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis with federal authorities and resulted in a massive increase in street arrests of immigrants in Utah.Utahns are split in half
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