Thread: Legislators in Utah push illegals fight

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,640200481,00.html

Deseret Morning News, Monday, August 07, 2006

Legislators in Utah push illegals fight

By Deborah Bulkeley
Deseret Morning News

Frustrated over an apparently stalled federal debate, some Utah lawmakers are taking an election year stand with state-level proposals aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration.

Some of those ideas include holding employers accountable for hiring illegal immigrants, requiring proof of citizenship or legal status to receive state services and sending illegal immigrants convicted of crimes to privatized prisons.

There will also likely be renewed efforts to repeal a law granting in-state tuition to some undocumented college and university students, and another law that allows illegal immigrants

to drive and obtain insurance using a driving privilege card.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. hasn't yet been briefed on the new proposals but will evaluate each on its own merits, said Mike Mower, the governor's spokesman. Huntsman continues to support keeping the tuition law and the driving privilege card in place, Mower said.

The illegal immigration issue has taken center stage in House District 46, where both candidates are advocating a hard line on immigration.

Incumbent Rep. Karen Morgan, D-Cottonwood Heights, originally supported granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants but has now changed her vote, which could make her the lone lawmaker in her party with an anti-tuition vote.

She's also looking at proposals similar to some of those passed by lawmakers recently in Colorado. One of those requires people to show identification to access state services and another calls for the state attorney general to sue the federal government over inaction on immigration reform.

"As it is now, the federal government is doing nothing," Morgan said. "When we have a federal government doing nothing, I feel a responsibility as a legislator to look into the issue and see what can be done."

Her Republican opponent, Robyn Bagley, promises to take a tough stand when it comes to illegal immigration, if elected.

"Definitely we have got to repeal in-state tuition" for undocumented students, she said. "We have got to make employers accountable . . . non-emergency medical care should not be covered."

Morgan said she'd like to see bipartisan support behind any illegal-immigration measures, but House Minority Leader Ralph Becker, D-Salt Lake, said while he hadn't talked to Morgan about the proposals, he's also not aware of any other Democrats shifting their positions.

"We're a group like anyone else and are going to have different points of views," he said. "I'm just not aware of anyone else who is suggesting support for her bill; it's not part of the Democratic legislators' efforts."

Lee Martinez, spokesman for the House Democrats, put it this way: "With friends like Karen Morgan in the Democratic Party, who needs enemies."

Such get-tough measures have also raised concerns about civil rights, even with safeguards Morgan has said would be in place to not place undue burdens on citizens.

Michael Clara, co-chairman of the Utah Hispanic Legislative Task Force, questioned the legitimacy of policies that could amount to requiring people to carry proof of citizenship or legal status.

"I think it's a violation of the Fourth Amendment to require people to carry proof of citizenship," Clara said. "The next step is, who are you going to ask for proof of citizenship? That's going to be brown-skinned people. You can't tell if someone's a citizen by his skin color."

The Shriver Center is taking the lead in a lawsuit against the federal government over a law requiring proof of citizenship to obtain Medicaid or Medicare services. Even after the Bush administration exempted the elderly and disabled, some 40 million people, including the homeless, disaster victims and mentally disabled foster children, could lose their benefits, the suit says.

Rep. Glenn Donnelson, R-North Ogden, has said he plans to bring back previously failed attempts at repealing in-state tuition for undocumented students and driving-privilege cards for undocumented drivers.

Donnelson, who couldn't be reached for immediate comment, has also indicated he plans to again try requiring businesses in Utah to verify new hires' eligibility to work in the United States.

Donnelson's tuition repeal could have a better chance this year after the bill's sponsor, Rep. David Ure, R-Kamas, lost his bid for an open Senate seat in the June primary. In the last session Ure was key to keeping the repeal from moving to the House floor for a vote.

Clara said members of the Hispanic Legislative Task Force have found other Republican lawmakers who will work to keep the tuition law alive.

However, those working for the tuition laws repeal are optimistic. Alex Segura, director of the Utah Minuteman Project, is encouraged by what he sees as lawmakers' changing attitudes.

"We're going to see a lot more people being involved and by that I mean legislators," he said. "Republican legislators will start backing Glenn (Donnelson) and introducing bills of their own."

While lawmakers are talking tough now, it's difficult to predict what legislation will actually materialize after the November election, said Kirk Jowers, executive director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics. Lawmakers may bring up bills that stand little chance of passage, at least in their original form, to bring out their voter base.

"A lot of it is election-year talk," he said, "proving to the base you're still there for them."

Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, has opened a bill file to deal specifically with illegal immigrants who are serving time for crimes committed here.

No legislation has yet been drafted, but Ray hopes to find a way to contract with a private prison to house out of state or out of the country many of the state's illegal immigrants who committed crimes in Utah.

Currently, deportable noncitizen inmates, including illegal immigrants, are housed with the rest of the prison population, under a deportation hold, meaning they'll be deported after serving their sentence.

There were 260 inmates with a deportation hold in Utah's prisons, from 32 different countries, on June 12, according to a Department of Corrections report. Mexico was the largest nation of origin, with 219 inmates.

Ray said the idea could potentially save taxpayers' money. It costs about $23,000 a year to house an inmate in Utah.

"You might have to pay $1,000 for a plane ticket," he said. "But if it costs $30,000 to house them here, and $15,000 to send them to their home country, it's worth taking a look at."

The Utah Minuteman Project is looking for a lawmaker to sponsor a bill that would require local law officers to check immigration status during traffic stops.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com

Ray said the idea could potentially save taxpayers' money. It costs about $23,000 a year to house an inmate in Utah.

"You might have to pay $1,000 for a plane ticket," he said. "But if it costs $30,000 to house them here, and $15,000 to send them to their home country, it's worth taking a look at."

Ray, let's skip the middleman and just go straight to deportation.
I'd rather pay to have them sent back to their own country instead of housing them here for 10 years and then deporting them. I still think keeping them imprisoned is a waste of good money.
Once the new wall is built, start deporting all criminals. Let's stop wasting good taxpayers money to house these jokers. Its just one more way they are taking us taxpayers for a ride.

http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_4146271

Article Last Updated: 08/07/2006 08:15:21 AM MDT

Some Utah legislators plan measures on illegal immigration
The Associated Press

Posted: 7:35:13 AM- Some Utah lawmakers are thinking about measures to crack down on illegal immigration.

Ideas include holding employers accountable for hiring undocumented immigrants, requiring proof of citizenship or legal status to receive state services and sending undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes to privatized prisons.

There also likely will be renewed effort to repeal the law granting in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants who attend and graduate from Utah high schools.

They also could took aim at the law that allows undocumented immigrants to drive and obtain insurance using a driving privilege card.

Gov. Jon Huntsman has not been briefed on the new proposals, and will evaluate each on its own merits, said Mike Mower, the governor's spokesman. Huntsman continues to support keeping the tuition law and the driving privilege card in place, Mower said.

Rep. Karen Morgan, D-Cottonwood Heights, who is running for re-election, originally supported granting in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants but has now changed her mind. She also is looking at proposals similar to some passed in Colorado. One requires people to show identification to access state services and another calls for the state attorney general to sue the federal government over inaction on immigration reform.

"As it is now, the federal government is doing nothing," Morgan said. "When we have a federal government doing nothing, I feel a responsibility as a legislator to look into the issue and see what can be done."

Her Republican opponent, Robyn Bagley, promises to take a tough stand when it comes to illegal immigration, if elected.

"Definitely we have got to repeal in-state tuition" for undocumented students, she said. "We have got to make employers accountable ... non-emergency medical care should not be covered."

Morgan said she'd like to see bipartisan support behind any illegal-immigration measures, but House Minority Leader Ralph Becker, D-Salt Lake, said he is not aware of any other Democrats shifting their positions.

Michael Clara, co-chairman of the Utah Hispanic Legislative Task Force, questioned the constitutionality of requiring people to carry proof of citizenship or legal status.

"I think it's a violation of the Fourth Amendment to require people to carry proof of citizenship," Clara said. "The next step is, who are you going to ask for proof of citizenship? That's going to be brown-skinned people. You can't tell if someone's a citizen by his skin color."

The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law has filed a federal court lawsuit in Chicago challenging a new law requiring proof of citizenship to obtain Medicaid or Medicare services.

Rep. Glenn Donnelson, R-North Ogden, plans to seek repeal of in-state tuition for and driving-privilege cards for undocumented immigrants.

Donnelson also has indicated he plans again to try requiring businesses in Utah to verify new hires' eligibility to work in the United States.

Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, has opened a bill file to deal specifically with undocumented immigrants who are serving time for crimes committed here.

Ray hopes to find a way to contract with a private prison to house out of state or out of the country many of the undocumented immigrants who committed crimes in Utah.

There were 260 inmates with a deportation hold in Utah's prisons, from 32 different countries, on June 12, according to a Department of Corrections report. Mexico was the largest nation of origin, with 219 inmates.

Ray said the idea could potentially save taxpayers' money. It costs about $23,000 a year to house an inmate in Utah.

"You might have to pay $1,000 for a plane ticket," he said. "But if it costs $30,000 to house them here, and $15,000 to send them to their home country, it's worth taking a look at."

The Utah Minuteman Project is looking for a lawmaker to sponsor a bill that would require law enforcement officers to check immigration status during traffic stops.