Washington County sheriff describes renewed ICE activity, fentanyl seizures and jail programs at Republican women meeting

Sheriff Nate Brooksby told members of the Washington County Republican Women on March 18 that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has resumed active operations in the county and that his office has been notifying ICE of people booked into jail; he said ICE was removing about 60 people per week.

Brooksby, who identified himself as the county sheriff, said the resumption of deportations follows federal changes and that Washington County is coordinating with ICE while the county also works to secure deputized authority under the federal 287(g) program to help place immigration-related holds on inmates. "Two days after inauguration, I'm on the phone with our localized guy... the following Saturday night about 09:30, I get a call from ICE and they said we've got the green light," Brooksby said. "It's about 60 a week."

Why it matters: Brooksby's comments describe how local law enforcement and federal immigration operations intersect in Washington County and explain changes that affect who remains in county custody and which detainees are referred to federal authorities.

Brooksby gave an overview of the sheriff's office operations, saying the department employs 193 people, with about two-thirds working in jail operations. He said the county jail holds roughly 450 inmates total, about 350 of whom he described as county inmates; about 100 are state inmates housed under contract and the office also contracts with the U.S. Marshals Service. The jail provides inmate labor for food service and community work crews and prepares about 471,000 meals a year, Brooksby said.

Brooksby described in-custody programs the office is pursuing, including an education partnership with Snow College to allow inmates to begin secondary coursework while incarcerated and continue online if released. "If we can get people on the straight and narrow, I'm all for that," he said.

The sheriff addressed drug enforcement and fentanyl seizures in the county, saying Washington County recovered about 67,000 fentanyl pills in 2023 and about 233,000 in 2024. He said he expects those numbers to fall as federal immigration removals reduce the flow of illicit drugs into the area. "I believe that that spigot's been cut off, and I think those numbers are gonna... see a huge reduction," Brooksby said.

Brooksby also described challenges coordinating federal detention space and contracts, saying ICE moves detainees to other federal facilities or out of the country when federal bed space is limited and that paperwork and inspection requirements have been a constraint on local housing agreements. He said federal inspection regimes under the prior administration created lengthy rule sets that complicated local contracts and noted litigation risk raised by civil-rights groups such as the ACLU.

On federal partnerships, Brooksby said he recently declined a request from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to place an ATF agent on the local drug task force. "I said no. You don't have a good reputation nationally," he told the club, explaining his office will not add ATF as a footprint in the county drug task force. He said the sheriff's office continues to work with FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Marshals on investigations.

Brooksby described the county's canine unit — three dogs plus a new search-and-rescue dog donated with assistance from the Dixie Elks Foundation — and said corrections staff and deputies would seek 287(g) deputizations so they can place immigration holds and assist ICE field operations. He said the county has already begun notifying ICE on bookings and screening inmates for immigration status. "Anybody that's being booked into jail is being screened on immigration status; ICE is being notified," Brooksby said.

Meeting participants asked about related state policies. Brooksby discussed state-level debates over E-Verify thresholds, the Children's Health Insurance Program funding for children of undocumented immigrants and Utah's driver privilege card, which he said is marked "driver privilege card" and "shall not be used as legal identification." He said efforts to scale back E-Verify and CHIP extensions had failed in the state legislature, with business and industry opposition cited as influential.

The sheriff closed by urging residents to report suspicious activity to help detect short-stay traffic and other signs of trafficking or drug operations, and introduced several deputies and canine handlers who were present at the meeting. "If you see something that looks out of place, do never don't ever hesitate to call us," Brooksby said.

Ending: Brooksby said he could speak longer but noted time limits at the meeting; the sheriff's remarks spanned immigration enforcement, local detention capacity, drug seizures and county-program partnerships and prompted questions from meeting attendees about ID policies, shelter screening and criminal priorities.