Strike force targeting illegals is lauded

A state strike force that targets illegal immigrants living in Utah who commit "major crimes" has experienced phenomenal success during its first four months in existence, according to Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.

The SECURE Strike Force — staffed by six investigators, a prosecutor and a paralegal, and supported by the U.S. Attorney's Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — has seized guns, drugs, thousands of fake ID cards and even dental equipment since its creation in June, Shurtleff said.

"The impact of violent and major financial crime committed by undocumented aliens is even more serious and profound than originally believed," the attorney general said.

Strike force agents have conducted multiple investigations, Shurtleff said, which have also led to the removal of 76 violent gang members from Utah's streets. Some of those individuals will simply be deported from the country. Others will face charges in either state or federal court, according to authorities, serve their sentences and then be deported from the United States.

"These are not single-focus criminals," said Ken Wallentine, chief deputy Utah attorney general for law enforcement.

"These are people who come to our land from foreign countries and perpetrate crimes or are involved in a wide gambit — drug distribution, weapons crimes, extortion," Wallentine said. "Their focus is anyone — anyone — in the state of Utah that they can cause pain and economic damage to, if it will bring them a profit."

The SECURE Task Force was created by the state Legislature, which allocated almost $1.8 million from Utah's share of federal stimulus monies to fund the strike force for two years. The group's creation initially raised concerns from members of the immigrant community who worried Shurtleff's office would begin targeting all illegal aliens living in the state.

"We're not after the housemaids and the lawn workers," Wallentine said. "We're after the people that are perpetrating violent crime, and because of that, we're pretty popular, even in the (immigrant) community."

Rep. Brad Dee, R-Ogden, sponsored the legislation to create the strike force. He said Wednesday that, even when the federal dollars are gone, he intends to pursue additional funding to ensure the group's continued existence.

"One of the most important things we can do as a state Legislature is provide funding for public safety," Dee said, calling the fight against crime committed by illegal immigrants a "front-burner" issue for him.

"As long as we continue to achieve these type of results, we're in it for the long haul," Dee said.

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