Two court clerks in Utah have been arrested and labeled as “self-appointed ICE vigilantes” after allegedly assisting an undocumented immigrant in evading an immigration enforcement officer, according to recent court filings.
Lauren Morrow, 26, and Jennifer Joma, 27, were charged on Wednesday with interfering in an ICE operation at the Logan City Municipal Justice Court, as outlined in the documents obtained by The Post.
In April, an ICE agent arrived at the courthouse to execute a warrant. Upon learning of the officer’s presence, Morrow and Joma reportedly began scrutinizing court databases to check the immigration status of individuals scheduled for hearings.
The clerks are accused of escorting a Guatemalan citizen out of the courthouse through a back entrance, successfully helping the individual avoid apprehension, as stated in the court records.
Afterward, the pair allegedly celebrated their actions by waving at a surveillance camera, with Morrow even making a crude gesture, the documents claim.
Joma and Morrow then continued to search records – finding non-citizens on the court records who ICE might want to arrest.
They allegedly intercepted the ICE target, and two women, one of whom was from Mexico, and they were taken into a backroom and smuggled out of the courthouse.
Meanwhile, the judge went into his office and left his door open, which obstructed his vision. Another clerk, who hasn’t been named in the documents, shut his door.
Then, Joma allegedly put the three migrants in her car and drove away from the courthouse – before returning.
Morrow was questioned about the whereabouts of the migrants but was tight-lipped, the documents said.
Both women face charges of conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens, harboring illegal aliens, and obstruction of Homeland Security proceedings – offenses which carry up to 25 years in prison.
Joma was also slapped with a charge of transporting illegal aliens – which carries a five year prison sentence.
John Huber, the ex-US Attorney for Utah, said the plot was the first he’s seen in the state.
“This is a time when people are on edge wherever you are on the political spectrum, and this issue of immigration enforcement gets people’s attention,” he told KUTV.
“I think a lesson to be learned here is that federal authorities are serious and that it’s no laughing matter to engage in conduct that rises to the level of a federal felony. This is not a joke.”