Some want to toughen GOP immigration position

Utah Republican Party stalwarts want to amend the party's platform plank on immigration with some tough talk that calls some illegal immigrants "trained terrorists" and slams the immigration bill before Congress.

And a proposed change in party bylaws to be addressed at the upcoming June 9 state convention could shelter party operations from a small group of constant dissidents.

An amendment to the party's platform plank on immigration says there will be no amnesty or pathway to legal status for any illegal immigrant. A separate resolution on immigration says a "certain percentage" of "these illegals are trained terrorists," and the federal government should move "vigorously and ... immediately" to find and deport the "most undesirable element of illegals."

Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, told the Deseret Morning News this week that he's leaning toward supporting the new federal immigration law now before the Senate, and he realizes that such support could harm him inside the conservative Utah Republican Party.

If the anti-illegal immigration language is adopted by the GOP convention, Bennett could find himself standing against his own party's immigration policy. Recently, Bennett voted against an amendment to the immigration bill that would have "broken" the main "amnesty" compromises in the bill by removing a pathway to legal status for illegal immigrants.

Rep. Chris Cannon , R-Utah, has faced an intra-party challenger in the last several elections, with the challenger making his main argument against Cannon the congressman's immigration stands.

Bennett told the Salt Lake Tribune that he could face the same challenge from a strong anti-illegal immigration candidate if he runs for re-election in 2010.

The Utah GOP platform change and the resolution — which provide a sense of the convention vote and are not legally binding on any GOP officeholder in the state — use tough language in how "illegals" should be treated.

All of the rule and platform changes and the resolutions can be read online at: www.utgop.org.

While praising the contributions that many immigrants make to the United States, the platform change proposed by Robert Wren goes on to say that Utah Republicans oppose "all forms of amnesty, or legal status, for illegal immigrants irrespective of program name or race."

"We oppose automatic citizenship for those children born in the United States to illegal immigrant parents."

That would be a major change in immigration policy — because currently any child born in the United States can be a U.S. citizen.