Brock MarchantTwo former Logan City employees face federal charges after authorities said they helped an immigrant lacking permanent legal status evade arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Jennifer Joma, 27, and Lauren Kelsey Morrow, 26, face charges of conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens, harboring illegal aliens, and obstruction of proceedings before departments and agencies, according to a Wednesday news release from the Department of Justice. Joma also faces a charge of transporting illegal aliens.
The former employees were indicted June 3.
Morrow and Joma were clerks at the Logan Justice Court when an ICE officer arrived at the courthouse April 9 with an administrative warrant to arrest someone, according to the Department of Justice.
(United States Attorney, District of Utah) A surveillance camera inside the the Logan Justice Court shows a woman leading someone out of court, allegedly to hide them from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The agent decided to wait in his vehicle outside the court so he could arrest his intended target when they left, the news release said.
When Morrow and Joma learned about the impending arrest, the Justice Department alleges, the pair misused court databases to learn the immigration statuses of people who were set to appear in court. They identified several people lacking permanent legal status and helped them leave through a secure area and out the back door of the courthouse, according to the news release.
One of the people they ushered out the back door was the person the ICE officer was at the court to arrest, the Justice Department said.
“After sneaking out the back door,” the news release said, “... Morrow and Joma were spotted on a surveillance camera waving and smiling at it, and Morrow used her middle finger in an obscene gesture at the camera.”
After the pair’s second trip through the back door, Joma left the courthouse with three people in her car before returning alone, the news release adds.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Joma and Morrow are scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court in Salt Lake City on Thursday, the Justice Department said.
Note to readers • This reporting position is a partnership with Utah Public Radio, a division of Utah State University.
I’m Brock Marchant, The Salt Lake Tribune’s Cache Valley reporter in partnership with Utah Public Radio. As a valley native, I’ve seen firsthand the issues that people face everywhere from Richmond to Avon — unaffordable housing, dwindling open space and a rapidly increasing population that has cities struggling to keep up. I want to explore local problems by reporting on the ground, not just quote elected officials and news releases. As residents work diligently to overcome challenges, I want to tell their stories and share their solutions. Smart, hard-working people have built the valley’s history, and I’m certain they will frame its future.
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