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ICE raid in Moab, 9 detained, could lead to negative long-term effects for the tourist town

Posted at 4:40 PM, Aug 26, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-26 23:21:26-04

MOAB, Utah –Nine undocumented immigrants have been detained following an ICE raid that was executed in Moab Friday.

The Moab Chief of Police, Jim Winder, said he received word of a potential raid on Thursday during a call with the Grand County Sheriff’s Office. No details of the raid were given.

“What ICE usually does is communicate with the local agency and say…you know within the next 24 hours we’ll be in your area,” Winder said and added that they as a local law enforcement agency are getting heat because of the raid. There are some that may have lost trust in them, Winder said, and he wants to assure people in Moab that local municipalities don’t have anything to do with the raids.

“It’s unlawful for local law enforcement officials, of any state, to engage in immigration enforcement. We are precluded from asking people’s statuses,” Winder said.

During a phone conversation with Fox13, Rhiana Medina, the Executive Director of the Moab Valley Multicultural Center and she said she’s been in touch with the families of those who were detained.

“If you can imagine what that does to children, seeing the people, adults in their lives being afraid to leave the house or go to work. We’re all connected to each other and that does have effects on the stress level of every body,” Medina said.

Following the raid on Friday, Police officials said businesses in town had many of their employees not come to work. Medina said that this raid put fear into the people living in the community, whether they are undocumented or not.

“We’re saddened by the appearance that it gives our local law enforcement,” Medina said.