Huntsman tells Fox of plan to push immigration issue

MEXICO CITY — Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. sweetened the deal for his Utah-Mexico "Alliance for Prosperity" Wednesday, telling Mexican President Vicente Fox and other officials here that he'll take on the immigration issue with the help of America's Western governors.

The governor made the pledge during a closed-door, 40-minute meeting with the Mexican leader, where he pitched his plan to boost economic development and tourism between Utah and Mexico, as well as create new education and cultural exchanges.

While Fox and the other leaders Huntsman met with about the plan were receptive, nothing's in writing yet. Huntsman had hoped the Mexican president would travel to Utah this fall to sign an agreement, but officials told him Wednesday that visit may not happen until next year — if at all.

Still, the governor, a former diplomat, was upbeat about the prospects for a formal relationship with Mexico as he wound up his first visit to a foreign country since taking office in January. He was scheduled to return to Salt Lake City early this afternoon.

"We're going to work toward bringing this plan to fruition whether he visits or not," Huntsman said. "That would be a capstone of sorts to this alliance, but it isn't critical to its success."

The Mexican foreign ministry is committed to drafting a paper about the scope of the alliance, and the governor said he will begin putting together a group of government and community leaders to do the same in Utah.

As for immigration, Huntsman said he'll work through the Western Governors Association to search for a solution. That could involve organizing a task force, the governor said, that would consider a variety of proposals to speed up the process by which immigrants can become U.S. citizens.

"That just came out of discussions with senior officials," Huntsman said of his decision to tackle the issue. "I think there's a serious need to reinvigorate the whole discussion on immigration. It's falling victim to politics here in Mexico and maybe to some level of indifference at home. I think it's one of the most critical issues of our time and requires a good public policy solution."

He said the discussion of immigration in the United States is becoming "more and more shrill over time, focused on the rhetoric rather than the fix." The governor, who supported Utah's controversial switch to driving privilege cards that cannot be used for identification for undocumented workers, said he did not have a specific solution in mind yet.