After taking office in January, President Donald Trump promised “mass deportations” of immigrants.
Part of that effort included eliminating policies prohibiting arrests by U.S. immigration agents at or near “sensitive” areas. Those include schools, places of worship, health care facilities, shelters, relief centers and public demonstrations like rallies and protests.
Since its start in late 2023, the Wasatch Immigration Project has been working to build a legal community in Utah that values and supports immigrants. On the “Local News Hour” Monday, April 1, board member Enrique Sanchez said large deportation operations are occurring across the county.
“It's typically being held in areas where either it's considered a sanctuary city, or where there's a specific sector that is known to hire undocumented immigrants, so that, you know, is like farm workers and stuff like that,” he said.
In response to increases in deportations and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, the small nonprofit law firm has hired its first full-time attorney to help Wasatch Back immigrants navigate the system.
Laura Rojas was born and raised in Miami and worked as an assistant public defender in the city for over a decade. She moved to Park City about 10 years ago with her family, eventually joining the organization as a volunteer attorney.
Rojas said she feels “very lucky” to join the staff in a paid, full-time position.
“The work itself is, I think, a combination of intellectually stimulating and also fulfilling,” she said.
Rojas said her primary purpose is to meet with individuals from the Wasatch Back, look at their situation and determine whether there is an option for them to move forward legally. She also wants to be a trusted resource, communicating with visitors in both English and Spanish.
“Our real goal is to offer people the dignity of that conversation and provide honest legal advice, and that is what we're hoping to continue to do because it's so stressful right now for individuals in our community,” Rojas said.
The organization handles cases involving domestic violence, unaccompanied minors, labor or sex trafficking, crime victims, asylum seekers, and people under 21 who have been abused or abandoned. Rojas said work permits also go hand-in-hand with most applications.
The firm has a waiting list of 100 people in need of assistance from its team of mostly volunteer attorneys. They say they are always looking for more lawyers willing to donate their time.
