Fact-checking claims made by candidates for Utah’s 4th Congressional District

SALT LAKE CITY – Republican Rep. Burgess Owens and Democratic challenger Katrina Fallick-Wang took the debate stage at the University of Utah on Thursday and exchanged views on issues ranging from abortion to immigration to education. But did the U.S. House District 4 candidates’ factual claims pass the KSL truth test?

KSL investigators examined three claims made by the candidates:

Claims about drugs and the border

In response to a question about combating illegal drugs, Owens said, “We have over 100,000 Americans who have died in the last few years because of what’s happened at the border.”

He continued: “First of all, we have to seal the border.” KSL investigators have reported extensively on how drugs are smuggled into Utah. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the vast majority of drugs that come across the border roll into vehicles packaged directly through legal ports of entry.

After the debate, KSL asked Owens if by “sealing the border” he was suggesting closing legal ports of entry. He clarified that this was not the case.

This truth test found that Owens’ claim about drugs and the border was misleading.

Allegation about criminal convictions of migrants

Later in the debate, Owens also made this statement about migrants convicted of crimes:

“I probably have less confidence in our ability to repel an attack than I have in the last four years,” he said. “We have a completely open border. 13,000 murderers, 15,000 rapists let through.” Owens was referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement data released in September. Look at these numbers. 13,099 noncitizens on the agency’s list are convicted of murder and 15,811 are convicted of sexual assault.

But after former President Donald Trump made similar claims in September, the Department of Homeland Security released a statement to NBC News saying the data was being “misinterpreted”:

“The data goes back decades; This includes people who have entered the country in the last 40 years or more and whose custody decisions were largely made long before this administration. This includes many who are under the jurisdiction of, or currently incarcerated by, federal, state or local law enforcement agencies.”

The KSL truth test found that Owens’ claim regarding criminal convictions of immigrants over a four-year period is false.

Claims about rising housing costs

Fallick-Wang made this claim about rising housing costs in Utah: “Rep. Owens has been in office for four years and in that time we have seen real estate prices continue to rise here in Utah.”

According to Zillow’s Home Value Index, single-family home and condo prices have increased significantly since 2021, topping $400,000 in January of this year, peaking at about $547,000 in June 2022, and then declining to about $517,000 in September .

Experts say there are several factors driving these costs, including a housing shortage and a pandemic home-buying rush. Rents have also increased.

And while these costs cannot be directly linked to Owens, KSL investigators have found this claim to be true about rising housing costs in recent years.

Thursday’s debate was the last in the statewide race before the Nov. 5 election, but fact-checking by KSL investigators continues.

Contributor: Avi Robledo, KSL TV

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