Latino community divided over boycott

Some members of Utah's Latino community have decided to take action against a
perceived lack of respect from the state's citizens and lawmakers by organizing
a boycott, but others are questioning their methods.

They plan to begin a two-week boycott of Utah businesses is set to begin at
midnight Monday morning. An informational session was held Sunday afternoon to
educate Latinos about the benefits and consequences of the boycott.

READ MORE: http://www.fox13now.com/news/local/kstu-latino-boycott-latino-community-divided-over-boycott-20110313,0,3806402.story

Latino organization praises Utah immigration measures

In an op-ed piece on Politico, Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles executive director Alfonso Aguilar heaps praise on the Utah legislature for its recent passage of immigration legislation "that mandates tougher illegal immigration enforcement and employee verification provisions (and), most important, (gives) undocumented immigrants a permit to work and live in the state without the fear of being detained and deported."

READ MORE: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700117451/Latino-organization-praises-Utah-immigration-measures.html

'We have to live in the shadows,' says family stuck in immigration dilemma

SALT LAKE CITY — It's a rare occasion when "Kate" feels comfortable enough to share her secret.
And even when she does, most don't believe her — at least not at first.
Kate is a U.S. citizen who's married to Luis, an undocumented immigrant. Together, the couple has four children between the ages of 7 and 13 — all of whom were born on U.S. soil.

READ MORE: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705368486/We-have-to-live-in-the-shadows-says-family-stuck-in-immigration-dilemma.html

Utah Legislature passes immigration reform package

(AP) SALT LAKE CITY - Utah lawmakers have approved an immigration package that includes an enforcement law reminiscent of Arizona’s but tempered with a guest worker program for illegal immigrants.

The immigration measures approved by both chambers Friday night would allow illegal immigrants to get a permit to work in Utah. But they also include a requirement that police check the immigrant status of anyone stopped for a felony or serious misdemeanor.

READ MORE: http://www.whec.com/news/stories/S2007901.shtml?cat=10065

One immigration bill moves on, one doesn't

SALT LAKE CITY -- Two bills dealing with illegal immigration were sent in different directions Tuesday by the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee.
Committee members opted not to take action on House Bill 253, sponsored by Rep. Christopher Herrod, R-Provo.
Sen. John Valentine, R-Provo, said there were too many problems with the bill for the committee to send it to the Senate floor for consideration.

READ MORE: http://www.standard.net/topics/utah-legislature/2011/03/01/one-immigration-bill-moves-one-doesnt

House OKs in-state tuition bill for undocumented

HB191 • The House voted by a wide margin Monday to repeal in-state tuition for undocumented students who can’t, through a parent or legal guardian, prove they have paid state taxes for three consecutive years.

Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, had fought to repeal the in-state tuition rates for the entire undocumented population, but agreed to compromise with an amendment offered by Rep. Todd Kiser, R-Sandy, who chose to include undocumented students who were paying taxes through a job or whose parents were gainfully employed and paying taxes in Utah.

READ MORE: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/51332844-76/amendment-bill-compromise-rep.html.csp 

SALT LAKE CITY — After keeping quiet on the issue during the debate, Governor Herbert has largely stayed above the fray through the tumultuous session.

But Thursday, he talked a bit about how he plans to wield his influence. While in the House, a vote on Rep. Carl Wimmer's vote was so close, one representative changing their mind would have changed the outcome

 

READ MORE: http://www.fox13now.com/news/local/kstu-utah-gov-speaks-out-about-immigration-bill,0,648914.story 

ABC4: Utah Latinos rally against legislation

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – Latinos rally against anti-immigration legislation.

“We believe the Latino people are being used as pawns to advance some of the political people on the hill,” says Mike Picardi, an activist.

Refusing to be pawns, Latinos are working on a game plan.

READ MORE: http://www.abc4.com/content/news/top_stories/story/Latinos-rally-against-legislation/LSbQQZzzLUG4VuVF1EGFwA.cspx 

House panel approves repeal of in-state college tuition for illegal immigrants

SALT LAKE CITY — High school student Daniel Reyna made an impassioned plea to lawmakers Friday against repealing in-state college tuition for illegal immigrants.
"I strive to be able to go to college but because of my status, my aspiration for this dream seems unreachable," said Reyna, whose undocumented parents brought him from Argentina as a child.

READ MORE: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705367000/House-panel-approves-repeal-of-in-state-college-tuition-for-illegal-immigrants.html

Utah Compact recognized; poll shows Utahns like it, too

SALT LAKE CITY — One of the honorees at Latino Day at the Capitol was not a person, but a document.
The Utah Coaltion of La Raza awarded the Utah Compact a Cesar Chavez Peace & Justice Award on Wednesday. The third annual Latino Day recognized war veterans, soldiers, business owners, teachers and others for their contributions to the nation and state.

READ MORE: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705366875/Utah-Compact-recognized-poll-shows-Utahns-like-it-too.html

BYU Daily Universe: The wrong target

Inevitably, when just about anything gets discussed in Utah, the LDS Church gets dragged into the argument. The latest immigration debate is no exception.

Last week, prominent Latino activist Raul Lopez-Vargas took a new approach to the debate, sending a letter to Mexican President Felipe Calderon asking him to suspend visas for LDS missionaries until the Church takes a stronger stance against bills like the current immigration enforcement bill being considered by the state legislature.

READ MORE: http://universe.byu.edu/node/13967

Panel advances bill targeting those who hire undocumented

The first immigration bill of the legislative session to tackle employer sanctions on hiring undocumented workers passed out of committee 9-4 Monday, despite concerns by the bill’s author that it was stripped of a key provision.

Rep. Chris Herrod’s HB253 was touted by the Provo Republican as a companion piece of legislation to the enforcement-only immigration bill sponsored by Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem. Herrod’s proposal would target employers that hired undocumented workers, suspending their business licenses for three days on a first offense and for a year on a second violation.

READ MORE: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/51249260-76/bill-business-committee-employers.html.csp 

Lawmakers pushing immigration bills receive threats

Two state lawmakers running immigration reform bills were e-mailed perceived death threats over the weekend and Utah Highway Patrol authorities confirmed Monday they are investigating the matter and taking it “very seriously.”

Reps. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, and Chris Herrod, R-Provo, were the only two state lawmakers to receive the one-and-a-half page letter, confirmed top state law enforcement officials, who said they were too early in the investigation to determine the severity of the threat.

READ MORE: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/51249054-76/davenport-enforcement-herrod-immigration.html.csp 

Should illegal immigrants gain legal status if they go to college?

In Obama's State of the Union address last month, he took on the issue of illegal immigration, saying Congress should work together on coming up with laws to enforce and protect U.S. borders and to address the undocumented workers.
But he also voiced his support of the DREAM Act, which was shot down in December but was set to allow illegal immigrant students who have lived in the U.S. for most of their lives to be eligible for citizenship if they completed a college degree or two years of military service. According to The Hill, Democrats plan on reintroducing the bill this session.

READ MORE: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700109850/Should-illegal-immigrants-gain-legal-status-if-they-go-to-college.html

Immigration law should avoid unfunded mandates

One of the toughest issues that we face in this year's legislative session deals with immigration. The issue is being looked at from many perspectives, but first and foremost from the enforcement perspective. Last year, the Arizona Legislature passed an enforcement-based law that has been studied by many in Utah. Most lawmakers will agree that there needs to be an enforcement aspect to immigration reform, but in my opinion we can't stop there.

READ MORE: http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20110215/OPINION/102150305

Sandstrom's immigration bill clears Utah House committee

SALT LAKE CITY — A proposed enforcement-only illegal immigration law that some say could define Utah's image for years to come cleared its first hurdle Friday.

After more than three hours of dueling statistics, emotional anecdotes and points of law, the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee voted 9-3 to advance HB70 to the House. Seven of the 12 members are co-sponsors of the bill. Democrats cast the dissenting votes.

READ MORE: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705366534/Sandstroms-immigration-bill-clears-Utah-House-committee.html?pg=1

For mother’s sacrifice, U. student from Peru keeps plugging along

Enrique didn’t know why he was living in Salt Lake City.

He was 11, fuming at his mother for pulling him away from the life and friends he knew in Peru and wondering what this strange place was — one full of white faces who spoke a funny language.

It wasn’t easier in school. He picked up English quickly, but learning the culture and customs took longer. So, he buried himself in schoolwork.

READ MORE: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/51177626-76/college-didn-enrique-felt.html.csp 

Lawmakers’ talk of reform rattles undocumented SLC worker

Jorge’s first trip to America was in 1998. Legally.

He came on a work visa to sell ski boot soles in New York City. The business eventually failed, however, when investors pulled the money and he was forced to return to Mexico with no job, no income and a wife and two children.

During his time in the United States, however, he saw opportunity that didn’t exist in Mexico. He was a college graduate with a degree, but obtaining legal citizenship would take about 20 years and jobs in Mexico were hard to come by.

READ MORE: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/51177640-90/able-america-assistant-clean.html.csp 

Utah Progressives decry state’s attempts to enact immigration reform

The Coalition of Utah Progressives decried immigration bills under consideration by the Utah Legislature at a Sunday press conference, calling four of the bills irresponsible and a grandstand for political posturing.

In front of the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building in downtown Salt Lake City, three members of the local advocacy group read a prepared statement and held brightly colored signs, castigating legislators for what they said are money-wasting and unconstitutional efforts to address immigration reform at the local and state level. In addition, the group called on congressional representatives to work with President Barack Obama in reforming federal immigration policy.

READ MORE: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/51200246-76/immigration-reform-utah-bills.html.csp 

Utah: Bill seeks fed money for medical care

Rep. Chris Herrod released a bill Friday that would require the state to request or sue the federal government for reimbursements to hospitals that provided medical care to immigrants who are in Utah illegally.

The Provo Republican has said he is carrying HB165 — the medical reimbursement bill — because he believes the current system is bringing an undue cost to the state by providing medical services to the undocumented population.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/51193481-76/bill-undocumented-herrod-business.html.csp