Thread: UTAH Immigration bill is a farse!!!

This comes from an open-border journalist.
http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/257483/3/


IN OUR VIEW: Immigration reform waits

Daily Herald
It's indicative of this legislative session that the provisions of its signature bill -- on immigration -- would be put off until next year. Maybe.

Responding to rising public anxiety about illegal immigration, the Legislature passed an omnibus reform bill, SB-81. But then it was tabled over money.

Its provisions include requiring a sheriff to try to determine whether an inmate at the jail is a citizen; requiring public agencies to use the Status Authorization System to verify the status of new employees; cracking down on phony identification cards; and tightening up the rules for applying for welfare and other public benefits.

The most striking aspect of the measure is that it won't take effect until July 2009, which means the next Legislature could change some or all of the provisions, or scrap it altogether. It's like paying a debt with a post-dated check, good in 16 months. If someone did fob off such a check on you, you'd wonder if it was any good -- and it probably wouldn't be. Likewise, SB-81 inspires doubts about how seriously lawmakers are taking immigration reform.

One portion of the bill would make it illegal for anyone to transport an illegal immigrant 100 miles into Utah for profit. So does Greyhound have to start checking IDs on passengers? Or if someone drops off a load of illegal immigrants after only 99 miles in Utah, is that within the law?

The final version leaves out a key provision: It would not require private employers to check on the immigration status of new employees.

The state Legislature will eventually have to do something about illegal immigration because the federal government probably won't. A U.S. immigration official said he didn't have time to check on the immigration status of a man held in the Utah County jail for negligent homicide. The accused, an immigrant named Gabriel Hernandez, was bailed out by his mother with a paltry $230 and hasn't been seen since. Turns out he was an illegal immigrant, and it's believed he fled to Mexico.

Incompetence has long been a hallmark of federal immigration enforcement, and we don't expect that to change. There just doesn't seem to be the will to strictly enforce border laws. Utah's U.S. senators have said they don't expect Congress to do anything this election year, a statement that made undeniable what has long been obvious.

Worse, after this year's presidential election it's unlikely that President McCain, Clinton or Obama will stem the tide of illegal immigrants. And so it falls to the states. If Utah lawmakers think dealing with this issue will be easier next January, they are mistaken.

Also in the Legislature ...

• Tuition: Surprisingly sanely, lawmakers halted two bills that addressed the immigration problem the wrong way. A law barring children of illegal immigrants from getting in-state tuition rates would have punished kids who had no choice in coming here. Another bill to revoke driving privilege cards would have done no good at all. The cards merely encourage people to come out of the shadows and are not good for official identification.

http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/257431/3/

House OKs immigration overhaul
Brock Vergakis -THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Amendments expected to be approved by Senate
SALT LAKE CITY -- Finding an apartment, a job or even a ride across the state could become a lot harder for illegal immigrants next year.

The House approved a sweeping immigration bill on Monday that's intended to encourage illegal immigrants to settle anywhere but Utah.


Among other things, Senate Bill 81 would force landlords to evict illegal immigrants and allow local law enforcement to perform some federal immigration duties.

If the Senate agrees to some changes the House made Monday -- as it's expected to -- the bill would become enforceable in July 2009.

By delaying the effective date by a year, the bill is at risk of being gutted next legislative session while also giving lawmakers an opportunity to tell their constituents they took a hard line against illegal immigration before the November elections.

Many lawmakers said immigration is the top issue their constituents want addressed. An effort by Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, to have some parts of the bill take effect this year died Monday on a voice vote.

"I know I've heard from my constituents," Sandstrom said. "People want something done."

A few changes were made to Senate Bill 81 on Monday, including a provision that would make it illegal to knowingly transport an illegal immigrant into the state more than 100 miles for a profit.

An earlier version of the bill would have made it illegal to transport an illegal immigrant for financial gain any distance.

The change is intended to punish only those who traffick illegal immigrants into the state. But the bill doesn't clarify what period the 100 miles would have to be driven in, meaning it's unclear if someone could drive 99 miles one day and the rest of the trip the next. Even with the restrictions, illegal immigrants could enter the state from cities such as West Wendover, Nev.; Franklin, Idaho; Evanston, Wyo., and others, and still reach the metropolitan Salt Lake City area.

The bill also doesn't include exemptions for taxi or bus drivers or say whether the 100 miles is a one-way trip or could include a round-trip.

Under the bill, state contractors would also be required to verify their employees' Social Security numbers through a federal computer program.

The program does not verify that the person says they are who they say they are, only that the Social Security number is a valid one.

The bill would also allow local cops to perform some federal immigration duties and prevent illegal immigrants from receiving state benefits such as welfare and public housing.

Lawmakers acknowledged the bill isn't perfect, but said the state needs to do something following speeches at the Capitol by the state's congressional delegation that it could be years before Congress makes major changes to immigration laws.

"I think it's the best that we can do and tells the people of Utah we are willing to address the problem," said Rep. Chris Herrod, R-Provo.

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695258372,00.html

After receiving overwhelming support in the House, an omnibus immigration bill aimed at creating barriers against undocumented immigrants finding jobs or public benefits now has veto-proof support.
SB81, which would take effect in July, 2007, underwent a slate of amendments Monday before the 56-15 vote to approve it, and sponsor Sen. Bill Hickman, R-St. George, says he'll recommend the Senate accept the changes and work on any issues in the interim.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. had expressed concerns about the original bill but Lisa Roskelley, the governor's spokeswoman, said Monday that the bill as passed "can be a helpful tool."

One key provision, that Hickman had thought was included but isn't, would revoke the business licenses of employers who don't comply with the law. As approved, SB81 would only apply to public employers and those they contract with by requiring them to use the federal E-Verify system to check the legal status of new hires.

On that measure, Hickman said, "we have plenty of time" to include it in the interim.

Also, labor unions were concerned about a House amendment that requires them to use the federal E-verify system to check the work eligibility of their members who work for state contractors. Hickman said that issue would also be looked at in the interim.


The bill had originally been set to take effect this year, with the exception of a few business provisions. It was amended to the delayed date in the Senate to give time for a separate legislative task force to study the issue.
The task force is included in HB490, which includes interim study issues.

"We have started the process and also instituted the task force," Hickman said. "Both trains are running along the same track together."

Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill back to its original July, 2008, implementation.

"I've heard from my constituents, people want something done," Sandstrom said. "People are upset at the federal government for doing nothing."

Rep. Steven Mascaro, R-West Jordan, said questions about the bill's costs — $1.8 million million in the first year — as well as logistics to law enforcement and businesses are "a very clear reason why we should allow one year for this bill to implemented."

Hickman had originally expressed concern that after November's election, the bill could be gutted before it has a chance to work. On Monday, however, he said he doubted much about his bill would change, though there may be some refining in the next legislative session.

A key amendment Monday changed a prohibition on transporting undocumented immigrants for commercial gain so that it only applies to someone who knowingly brings them into the state or takes them further than 100 miles within the state. The crime is a Class A misdemeanor, which can carry a penalty of up to a year in jail.

That means that a construction company picking up undocumented day laborers or a farmer transporting undocumented workers to a field would be innocent.

The misdemeanor provision had been among the most contentious, and was amended in the Senate to clarify that nonprofit organizations were also exempt.

On Monday, Hickman said he didn't see the change as watering down his bill, saying "casual transport" was never his intent.

"We're not trying to fill up the jails," he said. "We're just trying to bring some degree of reason."

Other amendments made Monday:

• Make it so that contractors doing business with the state and each of their contractors would be required to do their own verification of employees' legal status.

• Re-enforce the bill's provisions against discrimination.