Thread: UT-Immigration law feared

Immigration law feared
Cache Valley » Unexpectedly large crowd of Latinos comes for answers.
By Jennifer W. Sanchez



Posted: 04/02/2009 11:25:01 PM MDT


Hyde Park » With a comprehensive immigration reform bill set to become law on July 1, fear and confusion seem to be gripping Cache Valley's Latino community.

Almost 500 Latinos showed up at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church on Thursday night for a meeting about the impending law. Community and business leaders who planned the two-hour meeting were shocked by the size of the crowd; there's not much Spanish-language media in Cache Valley to get the word out, so they had expected maybe several dozen would show. And, they said, the immigration bill, SB81, hasn't been a major issue in the Logan area.

"Obviously, they've heard, and they are very aware of SB81," said organizer Rolando Murillo after the meeting. "The fact that they know is surprising."

Those in attendance said fear drove them to the meeting.

They said they were afraid the law would grant police new powers to arrest and deport them. They were afraid they could be charged with transporting undocumented immigrants if they gave rides to friends or relatives. They were afraid they would need to prove immigration status to rent an apartment.

They had come for answers.

Community activist Tony Yapias, immigration attorneys and representatives from Utah Legal Services, Cache Valley Multi-Cultural Center and the Utah Office of Ethnic Affairs spoke about the law and how it is going to effect undocumented immigrants.

The goal of the meeting was to "stomp out the rumors" circulating in the Latino community, Murillo said.

As long as undocumented Utahns are not breaking the law and ending up in jail, there's not much that's going to change, Murillo told the crowd.

"You don't have to worry," he said. "Stay calm."

The meeting organizers explained:

-- Under the new law, landlords won't need to ask for a tenant's immigration status.

-- Law enforcement will not have the right to ask for someone's immigration status.

-- Undocumented immigrants won't be able to apply for public benefits, a law that's already in effect.

-- And unless a person knowingly transports an undocumented person more than a 100 miles for payment, it's OK to give undocumented friends or relatives rides.

Organizers encouraged families to have a plan in case a parent or relative is arrested by federal agents; not to use fake documents; and make sure U.S.-born children have their passports. They also emphasized that, regardless of their immigration status, those attending the meeting have rights. Immigration officials need a search warrant to enter a home, organizers said.

Latinos who attended the event said they were relieved to learn more about the law because everyone seems to be talking about it, even though they don't know much about it.

Jaqueline Guitirrez, 28, of Logan has lived in Utah for eight years. She said she was pleased to learn about the law, but she's still concerned about the state's anti-illegal immigration sentiment.

"The laws continue to become stricter," she said.

Eduardo Arellano, 32, attended the meeting with his wife and two kids. He said he hoped the meeting calmed the fears of the community. Still, he's not at peace.

"In here is one thing, but out there is another," he said.

jsanchez@sltrib.com


Yes it is " illegal " and not immigrant ...

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12060928?source=rss

Jaqueline Guitirrez, 28, of Logan has lived in Utah for eight years. She said she was pleased to learn about the law, but she's still concerned about the state's anti-illegal immigration sentiment.

"The laws continue to become stricter," she said.

That's exactly the way it should be. Enforcement works1

Almost 500 Latinos showed up at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church on Thursday night for a meeting about the impending law. Community and business leaders who planned the two-hour meeting were shocked by the size of the crowd; there's not much Spanish-language media in Cache Valley to get the word out, so they had expected maybe several dozen would show. And, they said, the immigration bill, SB81, hasn't been a major issue in the Logan area

Just goes to show you how bad the illegal invasion has become in Cache Valley!!

If your an illegal invader then you should be very scared! You should be terrified everytime you punch the clock at that job you stole! You should be shaking everytime you get behind the wheel of that automobile in which you have no license or insurance to be driving!

Latino leaders address SB81 fears
By Jennifer S. Christensen



Published: Friday, April 3, 2009 7:05 p.m. MDT
1 comments



HYDE PARK, Cache County — Nearly 500 members of Cache Valley's Latino community packed St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church Thursday to learn more about SB81, a new immigration reform bill.

The measure is slated to take effect July 1 and has thousands of immigrants across the state scrambling for answers.

"People are panicked," said Tony Yapias, director of Projecto Latino de Utah. "There's a lot of anxiety in the Latino community because this law isn't fully understood, and the message we want to send is 'calm down, have patience, let's wait to see what happens.' "

Carlos, a 35-year-old immigrant from El Salvador, fears that SB81 will make it more difficult for him to find housing.

"If the legislation makes it illegal for my family members to give me shelter, where will I stay?" he asked. "I am college educated in my country and I speak English, but since you're not from here, you don't know how the law works. You have to learn how to survive by yourself. Period."

Aimed at tightening restrictions on the services available to illegal immigrants throughout the state, SB81 addresses the incarceration of illegal immigrants, the issuance of liquor licenses to illegal immigrants who own businesses and the unauthorized transportation and harboring of illegal immigrants for commercial gain. It also addresses the establishment of a fraudulent documents identification unit and expands the scope of the state's employment status verification system.



Estimates suggest that 130,000 to 150,000 undocumented immigrants currently reside in Utah.

"What we've seen in the community is a complete lack of knowledge about what to expect with this bill," said Rolando Murillo, a Logan community activist who coordinated the meeting. "We're not doing this to defend criminals, but I think that the human side of immigration reform gets overlooked. We wanted to bring people together so they can understand the implications of the law. There are a lot of fears out there, and we wanted to bring the Latino community some peace of mind."

The meeting focused on outlining SB81's legal ramifications, focusing on the bill's most misunderstood provisions.

"People have been saying that police are going to start looking for them and that people who are here legally can't give rides to illegal immigrants any more," said Leo Bravo, director of Cache Valley's Multicultural Center. "It's a mess right now because everyone is listening to comments that aren't true. What we're telling them is to relax and wait for the community leaders to explain what's really happening. Otherwise, we will be destroyed."

"Are landlords going to be required to report illegals? Will jails be required to initiate deportation proceedings? People are worried about those things," said Yapias, "but it's very likely that an injunction will be filed against this bill anyway. We need to have some patience."


"In my case," said Lorena Haro, an administrative assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas, "I think people have a lot of confusion inside of them. At the meeting, someone asked what would happen to them if they were detained at work and their kids were with a babysitter. What would they do then? Nobody really knows for sure how this law is going to affect us."

Haro, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico 12 years ago, is a legal resident, but she has family members who are still working to finalize their documents. "I've lived here for half of my life, and most of my family has residency," she said, "but my brother is worried about this bill. He has a work permit, but the idea still scares him."

"Most of the workers I know who are undocumented are supporting a family member who has a disease or something," she said. "If I were in their shoes and the money was gone, I would be scared, too."

"The bottom line is that we are all guilty," said Murillo. "The produce you eat, the milk you drink, the meals you are served at restaurants, those things are most likely provided by the labor of illegal immigrants. Optimal enforcement of these laws would keep that human face in mind."



http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,7 ... .html?pg=2

STOP THE MASS KILLINGS BY JOBLESS AMERICANS!

DEPORT ALL ILLEGALS!!