Two Utah court clerks are accused of making obscene gestures toward security cameras while secretly helping undocumented migrants leave a courthouse and avoid Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, federal authorities say.
Jennifer Joma, 27, and Lauren Kelsey Morrow, 26, were indicted on June 3 in connection with the alleged incident, which prosecutors say took place April 9 at Logan City Municipal Justice Court in Salt Lake City, according to court filings.
According to the Department of Justice, the two clerks were on duty when they noticed an ICE Enforcement and Removal Officer entering the courthouse “to arrest an illegal alien for immigration related charges.”
Federal officials said the agent, who was carrying an administrative warrant for the individual, later returned to his vehicle and waited outside for the person to exit the building so the arrest could be carried out lawfully.
Prosecutors allege that while the officer waited outside, Joma and Morrow began trying to identify the person ICE intended to detain, according to the charging documents.
The DOJ said the pair accessed the court’s secure database to check the citizenship status of everyone listed on the day’s docket. Investigators allege they identified several non-U.S. citizens and intercepted them before they could leave the courthouse.
Joma and Morrow then led the people, including the agent’s intended target, through a secure hallway and helped them slip out a back door without being spotted, officials claimed.
But the two did not stop there, as they brazenly took a moment to stop in front of a surveillance camera, where they smiled, waved, and Morrow ‘used her middle finger in an obscene gesture,’ federal prosecutors said.
Jennifer Joma, 27, and Lauren Kelsey Morrow, 26, were indicted on June 3 after they allegedly snuck illegal migrants out of a Utah courthouse before flipping off a camera
Joma (pictured) was also hit with a charge for allegedly transporting illegal aliens in her car
Joma then drove off with three illegal migrants in her car before making her way back to work that day, per officials.
They were both arrested and charged with conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens, harboring illegal aliens, and obstruction of proceedings before departments and agencies.
Joma was also hit with a charge for allegedly transporting illegal aliens.
The ex-court clerks appeared in court on Thursday, where they both pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
Prosecutors have described the women as ‘self-appointed anti-ICE vigilantes’ who ‘took the law into their own hands, but some people think they are ‘heroes’.
‘They sound like heroes,’ a Facebook user wrote about Joma and Morrow.
‘Bless their hearts this will make history! Their braveness will never go unnoticed,’ another said.
Someone else posted: ‘GOOD ON THEM #Moralsoverlaw.’
Joma and Morrow led the people through a secure hallway and helped them slip out a back door without being spotted, officials claimed
Meanwhile, others applauded prosecutors for nabbing Joma and Morrow.
‘Bye Felicia. Time to do some time,’ one wrote.
‘They aren’t laughing now,’ another said, referring to them appearing to look happy in the camera footage.
Another user chimed in: ‘Called consequences.’
After news broke of their indictment, a GoFundMe page was launched by one of Joma’s family members.
The page read: ‘This unexpected situation has brought immense stress and uncertainty to our family, as we navigate the complex legal system and try to ensure their rights are protected.
‘Their alleged actions, if true, could have been motivated by nothing more than compassion and a desire to help someone in need, and now they are facing serious consequences for allegedly trying to do the right thing. This is all allegedly.’
The money raised in the fundraiser is set to go toward paying for their legal fees and ‘related expenses,’ it added.
