Detentions raise questions about ICE tactics as additional immigrants picked up in Gunnison Valley

MORONI—The chief of the North Valley Police Department says a Sept. 30 immigration enforcement operation did not pan out as he expected.

In an hour-long recorded interview with the Messenger on Oct. 7, Steve Gray said he had understood some of his officers were going to be participating in training ride-alongs with ICE officers that night.

But after the evening ended with five people being taken into ICE custody, some of his officers questioned whether the tactics used conformed to North Valley policies and values.

Meanwhile, on Monday, the Messenger heard from a reliable source that ICE had also picked up immigrants in the Gunnison Valley, Salina and Nephi the week before the North Valley action.

Back in August, the North Valley Police Department began reviewing a proposed “memorandum of understanding” with ICE under what is known as the 287(g) program.

Under the program, officers who complete special training may perform immigration enforcement functions in their local jurisdictions. In return, the local department gets federal funds, training and equipment.

Gray said he initially viewed the agreement as an administrative change rather than an expansion of his officers' regular duties.

"We're not going to be checking immigration papers," Gray said he told officers. "That's not our job."

How ICE enforcement operated

During the Sept. 30 operation, North Valley officers conducted traffic stops, while federal agents riding with them used immigration information and databases to determine whom they wanted to question. Gray said federal officers made the decisions to detain individuals.

Fernando Montano, a leader in the local Hispanic community who has worked for Snow College since 2008, claimed officers involved in the Sept. 30 traffic stops were engaging in racial profiling.

"They were pulling anybody over, anybody who looked Latino or brown," he said.

He said a North Valley police vehicle followed his son, a Hispanic born in the United States who is attending Snow College, from the north county toward Ephraim. Finally, an officer stopped him over an alleged problem with the vehicle's lights. Montano said the lights worked fine.

His son did not have his driver's license with him but was carrying a U.S. passport, Montano said. After showing the passport, he was allowed to proceed.

Gray has maintained that North Valley officers conducted ordinary traffic enforcement during the ride-alongs and that federal agents independently determined whom to question or detain.

North Valley officers transported the five detainees to the department's Mt. Pleasant office, where Gray supervised them until ICE agents took custody.

But a day or two later, Gray said, "My officers came out and said the tactics were not how North Valley would conduct similar police work. They (ICE officers) run under a different set of rules than we do…We can't do what they're doing…because it doesn't meet our policy. Our job is not to check immigration papers and detain people. That is not our job."

Gray said he intends to recommend to the North Valley Police Board withdrawing from the 287(g) agreement..

Federal officials defend detentions

In an Oct. 9 statement provided to KSL, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended the ICE agents who participated in the North Valley ride-alongs.

The department said all five detainees were in the country illegally. Among their histories, DHS said, were multiple illegal reentries into the United States, driving under the influence, reckless driving, driving without a license, alcohol-related violations and possession or use of drug paraphernalia. The agency said all of the detainees would receive due process.

However, the federal agency did not specify which offenses applied to which detainees or clarify whether the offenses represented convictions, pending charges or other allegations. They also did not claim that any of the detainees had a record of any violent offenses or crimes involving victims.

DHS also defended its agents' professionalism and emphasized the importance of cooperation between federal and local law enforcement.

"ICE values our agreement with North Valley Police Department," the agency told KSL.

Plant operations reportedly disrupted

Montano also said he had talked with a long-time worker at the Moroni turkey processing plant. The worker told him that the morning after the enforcement activity, only 15 employees reported for a shift normally staffed by about 60.

The shift was scheduled to begin at 4:30 a.m., but staffing shortages forced the plant to consolidate workers from four crews into one on the cutting line. The line did not reach full operation until approximately 10 a.m.

Detainments in Gunnison Valley, Salina and Nephi

On Monday, Montano told the Messenger he had heard first-hand reports that immigration officers had taken four people into custody at the Maverik convenience store in Gunnison on Friday, Sept. 25, five days before the North Valley ride-alongs.

The Messenger has received reports from other individuals that back up Montano’s claims.

According to Montano, who has been a lay leader in the Catholic Church in Sanpete County, people attending a Friday service at Catholic church across the street from Maverik were advised to remain inside until immigration officers left the area.

Montano said many immigrant residents in the Gunnison Valley work on farms and ranches. When reports circulated about ICE being in town, "Their families went looking for them," he said.

Montano also described reports of two immigration detentions in Salina and and two to three at the Maverik in Nephi.

On Tuesday, the Messenger sent an email to an ICE media affairs address asking for confirmation of the local detainments. The email went out about 11:20 a.m. and mentioned our deadline of 6 p.m. We did not get a response.

The newspaper also made two calls attempting to reach Jason Adamson, Gunnison Valley police chief to find out if his department had any information about the Gunnison Valley apprehensions but did not hear back.

Statewide immigration arrests increase

The recent activity in Sanpete County is consistent with a substantial increase in immigration arrests throughout Utah.

According to the Deportation Data Project, a journalistic project launched by KUER public radio, ICE made 3,467 arrests in Utah from January through July 2026, compared with 2,116 during the same period in 2025.

The report relied on federal detention records obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests.

Those records also showed that 58 percent of ICE arrests in Utah between Oct. 1, 2025 and Aug. 5, 2026 involved transfers of people already in custody at jails or other correctional facilities.

But the data also indicated that 27 percent of people arrested in Utah during that period had no recorded criminal charges or convictions.

The distinction is significant because immigration violations do not always constitute criminal offenses. Unlawful presence in the United States is generally addressed through civil immigration proceedings.

Illegal entry is a misdemeanor, while multiple illegal entries can constitute more serious federal crimes.

DHS disputed the accuracy of the Deportation Data Project's findings when KUER requested comment, saying the agency had not verified the project's methods or conclusions.