Group of Utah Latinos Asks Mexico to Curb Mormon Missionary Visas

wonkroom.thinkprogress.org reported that: Over the past year, Latinos of Mormon faith have been asking the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) to take a position on the immigration issue. While other socially conservative denominations, including the Southern Baptists and Catholics, have come out strongly supporting a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants, the Mormon church has remained notably neutral. One advocate decided to collect the signatures of over 130 people in a letter asking Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s government to suspend visas to Mormon missionaries. The article notes that LDS “is heavily invested in Mexico, with 23 missions, more than a million members and a dozen temples.” To its credit, LDS recently released a statement which indicated that the Utah Compact “is consistent with important principles for which we stand.” Yet, as the Salt Lake Tribune notes, it has yet to formally sign on to the document. A spokesperson for LDS noted that withholding visas from LDS missionaries “would hurt Mexico more than the Utah-based church.”