U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested four people Monday, Sept. 21, during an immigration enforcement operation in Moab. Grand County Sheriff Jamison Wiggins said he learned about it only after enforcement began and received no direct advance notice. Grand County Sheriff Jamison Wiggins discusses the Sept. 21 federal immigration enforcement operation in Moab in a video posted by his office. Image courtesy of the Grand County Sheriff’s Office A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed the four arrests in a statement Thursday to The Times-Independent and described the action as a targeted enforcement operation. Wiggins said the Grand County Sheriff’s Office was not asked to assist and provided no operational support. In a video posted Monday, he said Moab Police also would not assist. Text accompanying Wiggins’ video said the operation had not been relayed to the sheriff’s office in advance and that the office was “disappointed and surprised by this unprecedented lack of information and communication.” DHS said two of those arrested were Mexican nationals, each with a final order of removal. The other two were Turkish nationals who had overstayed the terms of their admission to the United States. DHS did not say whether the four lived in Grand County or where they were taken. ICE records obtained by the Deportation Data Project show 35 arrests with Moab listed as the arrest city from Oct. 1, 2022, through Aug. 6. Twenty-six occurred after President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025. Monday’s four arrests are not included in those figures. DHS said ICE was not required to provide advance notice but called the shared dispatch center and Moab Police on Saturday afternoon about the planned arrests. According to DHS, a sergeant returned the call minutes later and said the deputy chief would be notified. ICE notified shared dispatch again Monday, which DHS described as “consistent with standard practice.” Moab Police Chief Lex Bell separately wrote Monday to The Times-Independent, “They notified us that they had a list of several subjects with administrative warrants they hoped to arrest today, but that’s it.” Wiggins said his understanding was that ICE contacted Grand County dispatch and spoke with a city sergeant. He said he learned about the operation only after enforcement was underway, then contacted an ICE supervisor to ask what was happening and why he had not been notified. According to Wiggins, ICE believed its conversation with the city sergeant provided sufficient notification. “Any claim that local law enforcement was not notified is false,” the DHS spokesperson said. Wiggins clarified in written responses Tuesday that his criticism concerned the lack of direct notice to him as county sheriff, not a lack of communication between ICE and local authorities. “My concern Monday was not that ICE conducted a federal enforcement operation,” Wiggins wrote. “My concern was that I was not notified before the operation occurred.” Wiggins said advance notice would have given his office situational awareness and allowed command staff to prepare for possible local public safety or coordination concerns. He said the ICE supervisor apologized and agreed to contact him before future operations in Grand County. Wiggins said an ICE supervisor told him agents were serving administrative warrants. Such warrants are issued by authorized immigration officers rather than judges for civil immigration enforcement. An arrest under one does not, by itself, mean someone has been charged with a crime. Wiggins also said neither the sheriff’s office nor Moab Police participates in ICE’s 287(g) program, which allows ICE to delegate specified federal immigration enforcement duties to participating state and local officers. Rhiana Medina, executive director of the Moab Valley Multicultural Center, said the center learned about the operation between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. after a video of a detention circulated on social media. She said the center activated its emergency protocol to share verified information, dispel rumors and help residents make informed decisions. By 9 a.m., the center had publicly confirmed that ICE was in the area and one person had been detained. Medina said Wiggins’ statement that local law enforcement was not participating was important because the center encourages all residents to call 911 and use emergency services without fear. The center offered free rides Monday to people afraid to drive because of the ICE presence. Medina said a handful accepted rides. Transportation was available for medical appointments, child pickups and drop-offs, travel to and from work and other essential needs. The center also asked residents to avoid spreading unverified information and not keep children home from school based on rumors. At about 1 p.m., the center announced that ICE agents had left Grand County based on information Wiggins relayed. Wiggins said his office had been advised that the agents had left the area but had not independently confirmed their whereabouts. He said he had not been told whether all ICE activity in Grand County had concluded or whether agents might return. The center said it would continue offering free legal consultations, emergency planning kits, mental health referrals and help locating people in federal custody. “Our support won’t end with the response that we had yesterday,” Medina said. “We’re here, and anybody who was affected yesterday will be able to continue to come and seek support services.” The Moab Valley Multicultural Center can be reached at 435-259-5444 or moabmc.org. Editor’s note: This story was updated Sept. 24 to include a Department of Homeland Security response received after initial publication and ICE arrest data obtained by the Deportation Data Project.