Thread: Southern Utah counties sound off concerns about illegal immi

Southern Utah counties sound off concerns about illegal immigration
By Mark Havnes
The Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated:10/08/2008 09:38:53 PM MDT

RICHFIELD - Denny Drake knows of the difficulties when dealing with issues involving undocumented immigrants and the impact they are having on Washington County.
Drake, a county commissioner, expressed his concerns Tuesday night to the legislative Task Force on Immigration meeting in Richfield.
The task force convened in the southern Utah city to gather response from government officials and residents of Washington and Sevier counties to Senate Bill 81, set to go into law in July 2009, which requires public employers and public contractors to verify the identity of workers by verifying Social Security numbers with an electronic database.
The bill also would require a number of state law enforcement officials to be trained and authorized to enforce immigration laws.
Drake estimates that 10 percent of the population in fast-growing Washington County is Latino, and is contributing to a stress on services like health care, education and the economy.
He said in discussions with officials of Intermountain Health Care, a major employer in Washington County, the cost of providing indigent care in 2007 was $24 million and the number could be higher this year.
"If they [IHC] close their doors, we'll lose a major employer and economic helper in Washington County," Drake said.
He also said schools are feeling the impact from the costs of teaching non-English speaking children.
A sluggish economy means there are fewer jobs available, especially in construction, creating tensions through increased competition for what jobs are available, he said.
Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith told the legislators that federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the only agency that can effectively enforce immigration laws, but that ICE agents are overworked in the area.
"The federal government has not been dealing with the problem," said Smith.
Lorraine Gregerson, executive director of the Richfield Area Chamber of Commerce, said that only 2.6 percent of Sevier County is Latino, but she expects the population to grow.
She liked the idea of the electronic verification bill because most farmers who hire Latinos have no way of determining immigration status.
'Without them," Gregerson said, "it could be hard for some [farmers] to stay in business."
Sevier County Sheriff Phil Barney said undocumented immigrants are having a bigger impact on the northern part of the county around Salina, and the seeds of gang activity are being planted in the area.
Barney said he would also like to see more involvement from ICE.
St. George resident Phyllis Sears, a founder of Citizens Council on Illegal Immigration, warned legislators that if immigration laws continue to go unenforced, than undocumented immigrants will erode away the quality of life residents expect in the area through increased crime and negative impacts on health care and schools.
William J. Carlson, public Policy Advocate for the American Civil Liberties Union in Salt Lake City, warned the task force members that like any laws on immigration, SB81 presents due-process concerns and could encourage racial divisions.

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Way to go utah,stay after them get your state back.