Utah Court Clerks Allegedly Pulled a ‘Hannah Dugan’ for Illegals

AP Photo/Devi Shastri

On June 3, former Utah court clerks Jennifer Joma (27) and Lauren Morrow (26) were indicted on conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens, harboring illegal aliens, and obstruction of proceedings before departments and agencies. Joma is also charged with transporting illegal aliens. 

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The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative where the full resources of the Justice Department are being brought to bear to combat illegal immigration and its requisite cartel and transnational crime. Both women face up to 25 years in prison if convicted, and Joma is facing an extra five years for the additional charge of transporting illegal aliens. 

It appears these ladies allegedly decided it was a good idea to take a page from former Milwaukee, Wisconsin, judge Hannah Dugan, who was convicted of a felony for helping an illegal alien avoid ICE arrest by shepherding him through a back exit to avoid the agents. You would think Dugan would be a cautionary tale; instead, these women seemingly decided she was a role model

An indictment was unsealed, and two former Utah state court clerks have been arrested after they allegedly helped an illegal alien evade U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest. The clerks also allegedly obstructed immigration proceedings and the lawful enforcement of United States immigration laws by helping at least one of three other illegal aliens escape out a backdoor of the Logan City Municipal Justice Court so that ICE could not arrest or deport them. 

According to allegations in court documents, on April 9, 2026, Joma and Morrow were working at the Logan City Municipal Justice Court in Logan when an ICE Enforcement and Removal Officer (ICE-ERO) entered the justice court to arrest an illegal alien for immigration related charges. The ICE officer had an administrative warrant for the illegal alien who was at the justice court for a court hearing. The ICE officer left the secure area and eventually went outside and waited in his car for his target to leave the courthouse before trying to make the lawful arrest.

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Joma and Morrow allegedly accessed court databases without permission to discover the immigration status of people scheduled on the court's docket. When the two identified the non-U.S. citizens, they would find them at their courtrooms and prevent them from leaving the courthouse. And then, they allegedly pulled a Dugan, leading the illegal aliens through a secure area, down several hallways, and out through a back door of the courthouse.


Read More: Judge Hannah Dugan, Convicted of Concealing an Illegal Alien From ICE, Just Got Bad News From the Court

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These charmers were not even hiding their glee over their actions, with one of them even giving the middle finger to the security cameras.

After sneaking out the back door of the courthouse for the first time with an alien, 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. On the second trip, Joma drove off with three aliens in her car before returning alone to the courthouse for work. 

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Joma and Morrow appeared in U.S. District Court on Thursday morning, where they both pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them. Their attorneys are doing their jobs: trying to paint the women as good people with poor judgment who have been caught up in this "political climate."

"She had a ton of family support in the courtroom today," said Nate Duncan, attorney for Joma. "She has a sweet little three-year-old daughter. Jennifer is a sweet, wonderful person and it's a tragedy to see that she's in this situation right now."

He and Adam Crayk, the lawyer for Morrow, want to learn more about the charges, much of which could be provided in discovery. Crayk noted "the political climate" in responding to questions post-hearing.

"You're talking about people who have zero criminal history," Crayk said. "People who are good, hard-working."

One could argue that anyone with judgment that terrible should not be trusted with sensitive information and legal matters at all. If these women were "good" and "hard-working," they would not have found the time to allegedly manipulate the court system and actively thwart immigration enforcement.

Between the legal shenanigans of the defense counsel for the man charged with Charlie Kirk's murder and these two brain trusts, Utah's court system is not looking very stable or competent.  

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Editor’s Note: Democrats continue to put our nation's national security at risk simply because they want to keep illegal aliens from being deported.

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