Chief Brown supports Dialogue on Immigration Enforcement

SALT LAKE CITY — In signing the letter to Chairman Grassley and Ranking Member Leahy, I and fellow Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force members are intending to change the narrative about law enforcement and its place in immigration enforcement.

In diverse cities across the nation, law enforcement officers battle for trust and work tirelessly to instill a model of community-oriented policing that will be negatively affected by efforts of our government to mandate immigrant-status checks within our tactics.

My goal in signing this letter is to conduct a dialogue with the Senate Judiciary Committee on focusing efforts on changing the immigration system rather than intensifying our local policing programs. While Salt Lake City is not a so-called ‘sanctuary city’, our law enforcement model focuses on providing service and public safety to all citizens of our city, regardless of status or demographics. Requiring police to enforce federal immigration law undermines the trust and cooperation of immigrant communities, which are an essential element of this community and our practice of community-oriented policing.

Additionally, we believe that defunding federal programs could adversely affect public safety in our community. I look forward to participating in further discussion with our decision makers, locally and federally, to find a positive solution to this complex issue.

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