Utah on immigration: We aren't Arizona

Less than a year ago, Utah business leaders worried that their state would follow in Arizona’s controversial footsteps by passing tough new laws to crack down on illegal immigration. Already, there were signs that a divisive debate — the kind that led to mass protests, boycotts and lawsuits in Phoenix — was shaping up in Utah, too.  

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Immigration reform, the ‘Utah Way’

Utah, where Republicans outnumber Democrats by better than threeto one in the state Legislature, has passed the nation's mostliberal and most reality-based policy on illegal immigration. Andthe Republican governor is expected to sign it.

The legislation includes both a watered-down enforcementprovision that police say won't make much difference and aguest-worker program that would make all the difference in theworld -- if it survives constitutional challenge -- by grantinglegal status to undocumented workers and allowing them to livenormal lives. In a nutshell, it's a one-state version of theoverarching immigration reform package that Congress has repeatedlytried, and failed, to enact.

Read More: http://www.heraldextra.com/news/opinion/article_569e9ae3-3023-520f-b146-250b45ae55f7.html

List of immigration bills for Utah

HERE IS THE COMPLETE LIST OF IMMIGRATION BILLS:

HB 70
Sponsored by: Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem
Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act -- This bill would enact the "Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act," which, among other things, would require that an officer verify the immigration status of a detained or arrested person upon reasonable suspicion the person is an illegal alien.


http://www.heraldextra.com/legislature/article_9c510980-38ac-5834-9f63-681da0f6db8b.html

BYU professor challenges on illegal immigration bills

SALT LAKE CITY — A BYU professor is among those challenging facts and figures proponents of illegal immigration bills use to make their case for tough enforcement laws.
One of those areas is crime, where it's commonly suggested that the rate is higher among illegal immigrants than the general population.
"In examining the data, it's just hard to see that there's a strong connection between undocumented immigrants and crime," said Charlie Morgan, a Brigham Young University sociology professor who studies immigration.

READ MORE: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705367527/BYU-professor-challenges-on-illegal-immigration-bills.html

TV2: Utah Latino Community Upset Over Immigration Bill Passing Utah House

(KUTV) SALT LAKE CITY – Hundreds of new names may have been added to the "Utah Compact" on immigration.
A community gathering at Centro Civico Mexicano held a debate tonight.
Activist Tony Yapias says 300 people signed the Compact, which says immigration is primarily a federal policy.

READ MORE: http://connect2utah.com/news-story/?nxd_id=132216