Utah's New Immigration Outlook

Politico: Utah just made history. While the federal government avoids tackling the immigration issue — and most states seem intent to deal with it through the limited prism of enforcement — Utah, one of the reddest of states, is providing a lesson to the nation by adopting a common-sense, market-based answer to the immigration question. Utah Republicans, who control the state House and Senate by wide margins, just passed legislation that mandates tougher illegal immigration enforcement and employee verification provisions. But, most important, it gives undocumented immigrants a permit to work and live in the state without the fear of being detained and deported. Republican Gov. Gary Herbert had indicated that, if passed, he would sign this work permit bill into law. The Utah legislature did not waste any time since its 45-day session began Jan. 24. They had a civil and broad debate covering many aspects of the immigration issue. Then they produced sensible legislation, which balances immigration enforcement with measures supportive of Utah business needs — and also welcoming to immigrants. State public officials are understandably upset that Washington hasn’t done anything to effectively address the immigration question. They saw that they had to take action to ensure that Utah maintains a pro-business environment, welcoming to the foreign workers who the state needs to strengthen its economy.