West Valley City Mulls Immigration Ordinance

Saturday, Apr 17, 2010 @06:15pm CDT

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (AP) - West Valley City would become the state's first city to verify whether business license applicants are U.S. citizens or legal residents if two council members have their way.

After similar measures failed at the Utah Legislature over the past three years, Councilmen Steve Vincent and Steve Buhler say they want West Valley City to lead the way.

"We can set the example," Vincent said.

Buhler said while the federal government regulates eligibility to work in the U.S., the city shouldn't give undocumented immigrants the right to start businesses.

He said the city should follow federal immigration law, even though the proposal could require more staff and higher business license fees. The potential difficulty shouldn't keep the city from doing "the right thing," he said.

An estimated one-quarter of residents in West Valley City, the state's second largest city, are Latino.

Ryan Reeder, a Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce board member, said the chamber opposes any effort to use the federal E-Verify system in connection with business license applications.

The system's purpose is to check an employee's status for working in the U.S., and it should not be used for any other purpose, Reeder said.

Russ Condie, assistant city treasurer, said he foresees many people running businesses without a license if the ordinance passes.

The ordinance would require at least one more city staffer and higher business license fees, he said.

Mayor Mike Winder said while the city must obey "the law of the land," such an ordinance is a "touchy topic and controversial."

Buhler said he also would like to start a database of employers in the city who use the E-Verify system to check their employees' immigration status and encourage consumers to support only those businesses.

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