- President Donald Trump is expected to sign executive orders reducing the size of Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments on Monday.
- The monuments have shifted in size between administrations, with Trump reducing them in 2017 and President Joe Biden restoring their original boundaries in 2021.
- Environmental groups and Utah officials are divided over the potential reduction, with critics threatening legal challenges and supporters seeking more local control.
Utah
Ukrainian family in Utah facing separation, with 2 family members fearing deportation
LINDON — A Ukrainian family now living in Lindon that fled the violent war in the European nation now potentially faces separation, with two family members fearing deportation.
The turn of events — not the first time the family has contended with uncertainty — represents another twist in implementation of immigration policy under President Donald Trump and his crackdown on immigrants in the country.
Indeed, the Lindon family isn’t alone — other Ukrainian immigrants are contending with similar issues, according to representatives from Utah groups that aid Ukrainians.
“We can’t understand why because we didn’t break any laws,” said Yurii Ahieiev, facing deportation along with his 7-year-old daughter, Viktoriia Ahieieva. While the man’s wife and two older sons successfully applied for permission to remain in the country, at least for now, he and his daughter, instead, face deportation, he said, “and I don’t know why we have these issues.”
Several families in Lindon joined together in sponsoring the Ukrainian family’s relocation to the Utah County city in 2023 under the Uniting for Ukraine program, launched in 2022 under President Joe Biden to aid Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia. On starting his second term as president earlier this year, however, Trump paused the program, though his administration later launched a process allowing eligible Ukrainians to apply for “re-parole” to extend their stay in the country.
At any rate, Ahieiev and his daughter, supported by their Lindon neighbors, are now scrambling to figure out their next steps after the apparent rejection, without explanation, of their applications to stay in the United States. Ahieiev and his wife Valentyna Ahieieva run a small accounting business while their two sons, ages 17 and 16, and daughter attend Lindon-area schools.
“We like it here, we like the U.S., like this country. But we don’t like what’s happening now in the immigration system,” Valentyna Ahieieva said. “Hopefully it changes.”
A hearing for Ahieiev is scheduled for July while his daughter is to appear before immigration authorities in February, when they and their backers fear they could be detained for deportation, said Jared Oates, one of the Lindon sponsors.
“Why would you separate a family?” he asked.
In response to a KSL.com query, a rep from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security asked for additional identifying information about Yurii Ahieiev and his daughter. Supplied the information, the department didn’t provide any comment, nor did reps from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But the transplants to Lindon apparently have plenty of company. Despite the ongoing war in the Ukraine and prior moves to welcome at least some Ukrainians fleeing the conflict into the United States, the situation for many Ukrainians here remains tenuous.
“This is absolutely a major issue right now for both Ukrainians who came here for refuge, as well as for the Americans who sponsored them and those who have become their friends, neighbors, co-workers, employers, etc. It is devastating and heartbreaking to see the decisions and challenges that are being added to these people who have already gone through so much,” said Mindie Packer.
Packer is co-founder of Hope Across Borders, a Utah-based group that offers humanitarian aid in conflict zones around the world, including Ukraine.
Packer has heard many stories of Ukrainians in uncertain migratory situations, fearful they may be targeted by immigration agents. One Ukrainian family Hope Across Borders sponsored had to move to Slovenia because their permission to remain in the United States expired.
“We know many people who came legally and applied for renewal/extension of their status, paid their fees and have not heard anything back. They were not denied or accepted, but now their status is expired and they don’t know what to do,” Packer said.
Anne Perkins of Lifting Hands International, a Utah-based nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid to Ukraine, knows of one Ukrainian family in Utah that moved to Spain. The work visa of the head of the family ran out and he was unable to renew it, prompting the departure. Fees to seek extensions to remain in the country have increased, adding to the difficulties.
“Still, most of the families I’ve talked to are motivated to do whatever it takes to stay,” Perkins said.
Human Rights First, an American human rights organization, says around 50 Ukrainians were deported last November from the United States.
Shining a light on the situation
Given the current climate toward immigration under Trump, it’s unclear “whether immigrants, period, are welcome in the United States right now,” Oates said. “It’s just a very difficult time.”
That said, he and the others who first sponsored the Ahieiev family say they have made strides in transitioning to life here and stand behind them. They’re self-reliant with their accounting business, and the kids, whose English has improved greatly, are thriving in school.
“They’ve been remarkable,” Oates said.
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Their Lindon backers have consulted with immigration attorneys, who haven’t been able to offer any solutions. They’ve also reached out to U.S. Rep. Mike Kennedy, their congressional representative, for help in navigating the U.S. bureaucracy for answers.
Kennedy wouldn’t comment on specifics of the Ahieiev family’s situation due to privacy considerations. But he said his office is available to help.
“My office and I are committed to helping constituents of Utah’s 3rd Congressional District resolve issues with federal agencies to the best of our ability,” he said in a statement.
At this stage, Oates thinks the main means of helping the family might be shining the light on their situation in a bid to muster public support.
“The only thing that would change the calculus, as far as we can see, would be changing the political consequences of deporting (Viktoriia) and separating a family,” he said.
As for a possible return to Ukraine, Ahieiev and his wife shudder at the possibility. They lived in the Odessa region, which has faced some of the fiercest and sustained attacks from Russian forces.
“Our parents now still live in this region, but it’s really dangerous,” Yurii Ahiehiev said. “Very often there’s no electricity, no heating.”
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
Not only the Utah that we are today, but the Utah that we can choose to become.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Gabriel Meneses makes one of the limited edition flags for the United States 250th anniversary at Colonial Flag in Sandy on Monday, June 1, 2026.
President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order on Monday afternoon shrinking the size of two national monuments in Utah, which currently cover a combined 5,094 square miles, the Deseret News confirmed on background with a Utah source.
The two national monuments — Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears — have oscillated in size through the previous several presidential administrations.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was created by President Bill Clinton in September 1996. Bears Ears National Monument was created by President Barack Obama in December 2016. Both designations received a mixed reception among Utahns.
In 2017, Trump reduced Bears Ears by about 85% and Grand Staircase by about 46%.
Then when former President Joe Biden took office in 2021, he restored them to their original sizes.
Trump is expected to sign the executive orders in the Oval Office on Monday at 4:30 EST.
In a statement to the Deseret News on Friday, the White House said, “Any policy announcement will come directly from the President. This reporting about potential executive orders is pure speculation.”
National monument designations place restrictions on what recreational and economic activity residents and visitors can do on the land. The designation also prohibits anyone from pursuing new mining claims, oil and gas leasing, coal exploration or new commercial infrastructure projects.
However, the Bureau of Land Management previously found that Bears Ears and Grand Staircase have little to offer in terms of oil and gas potential, the Deseret News previously reported.
For nearly three decades since Clinton designated the first monument, Utah’s federal delegation has asked for reductions in land size for more local control, recreation and grazing.
Recently, Utah Rep. Celeste Maloy challenged the monument’s resource management plan to return to a plan the first Trump administration outlined in 2020 with help from local Utahns.
However, her bill died after missing a key deadline to make it to the Senate for a vote.
People react to the potential land reduction
Based on an initial report by ABC4, environmental groups are already vocalizing their disapproval over a potential reduction of monument land.
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Executive Director Scott Braden described the potential executive order as “unlawful, unwise and unacceptable,” in a press release sent to the Deseret News.
“This action will only bring uncertainty and chaos to places that should instead be protected for their rich biodiversity, unique geology, and remarkable cultural values,” he wrote. Braden said SUWA was preparing to fight the executive order through lawsuits or by lobbying in Congress.
On X, former Utah state Sen. Nate Blouin referenced the land reduction in conjunction with the Babylon Fire, which as of Friday is 25% contained and has covered more than 100,000 acres in southeastern Utah.
“As the largest wildfire in the U.S. burns pristine landscapes in southeastern Utah, Trump is threatening to shrink both Grand Staircase & Bears Ears National Monuments,” Blouin wrote. “This unprecedented move is happening without input from the region’s ancestral inhabitants.
PROVO — The preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson is expected to wrap up Friday morning in Provo. But it will still be several weeks before a decision is made on whether there is enough probable cause to bind him over for trial.
Robinson, 23, is charged with 10 crimes, the most serious being aggravated murder, in the death of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed on the campus of Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025. A preliminary hearing is held to determine whether there is sufficient probable cause to go to trial on the charges levied against a defendant.
The Utah County Attorney’s Office finished calling their witnesses to testify on Thursday. Robinson’s defense team, who have already called two forensic experts from the FBI and ATF to testify, are expected to call one more on Friday before resting. Robinson has been attempting to cast doubt on the reliability of DNA testing, arguing that test results are subjective.
Prosecutors have objected several times to the line of questioning, arguing that it falls well outside the bounds of what is needed for a preliminary hearing. Even 4th District Judge Tony Graf warned defense attorney Michael Burt on Thursday during one line of questioning, “I feel we are exiting the orbit of probable cause.”
At the end of a preliminary hearing, both sides typically give closing arguments, and the judge decides if there is enough evidence for a defendant to proceed to trial. On Thursday, Graf granted a defense motion for each side to first submit briefs summarizing their arguments. The state will submit its brief by July 28, followed by the defense’s reply on Aug. 11 and the state’s rebuttal on Aug. 18. After that, another hearing will be held on Sept. 1 for both sides to present their cases in court.
Also on Thursday, portions of the video interview of Robinson’s roommate and boyfriend at the time of Kirk’s death, Lance Twiggs, were shown to the courtroom after much debate.
In addition, screenshots of the text messages exchanged between Twiggs and Robinson, a note Robinson left for Twiggs and messages on Discord that Robinson allegedly sent to his friend group prior to turning himself in, were all displayed in court.
For each piece of evidence introduced during the week-long hearing, Graf has had to decide:
- Whether to admit that evidence into the record;
- Whether that evidence should be shown to everyone in the courtroom;
- Whether that evidence can be filmed by the livestream camera broadcasting the hearing.
Robinson’s defense team remains adamant that broadcasting evidence to people outside the courtroom will jeopardize their client’s right to a fair trial by prejudging a future jury pool. Prosecutors want the evidence shown to everyone for the sake of transparency. Graf has compromised on several pieces of evidence by allowing them to be displayed to people in the courtroom but not on the livestream feed.
The extended debates over what evidence can be shown to the public and what is only viewed by attorneys and the judge have prompted Jeff Neiman, the attorney for Erika Kirk and the Kirk family, to address the courtroom several times, both in person and in a briefing filed Wednesday night, calling on the court to make all evidence public.
“For 10 months, the victim’s family has waited for this preliminary hearing. Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, and his grieving parents traveled to this courtroom for one reason: to be present at these proceedings and to bear witness to the evidence concerning the death of their husband and son. At certain points throughout the preliminary hearing, the Kirk family sat in the room while evidence was admitted but not presented for their viewing. They were present in body, yet denied the very thing their presence was meant to secure: their ability to meaningfully observe the preliminary hearing,” Neiman said. “The victim’s family’s position is simple. At a minimum, every exhibit entered into evidence during the preliminary hearing must be visible to every person lawfully present in the courtroom.”
Erika Kirk and Charlie Kirk’s parents have been in the courtroom all week for the preliminary hearing.
At Neiman’s request, Graf agreed that at the end of court on Friday, he will show to the courtroom only the enhanced UVU surveillance video allegedly showing Robinson’s movements across the roof of the Losee Center and when he drops off the roof and runs to a wooded area off Campus Drive. The video includes moments in which film editors zoom in on the alleged gunman and impose a red circle around him to make it easier to view. The video was originally submitted as evidence but was only shown to Graf and attorneys.
Friday’s hearing begins at 9 a.m. Watch it livestreamed here:
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