Compassion call could affect immigration bills

A call from the LDS Church for compassion on the issue of illegal immigration has many immigrant rights advocates hoping for a potential reprieve from legislators who are debating a large slate of bills addressing the issue.

Wednesday night "was a day many of us were waiting and praying for," said Tony Yapias, a Latino community activist in a statement. He was referring to a call by Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the Seventy that the predominantly LDS Legislature take a "more thoughtful, factual, not to mention humane, approach" to immigration policy and to "measure twice before they cut."

Jensen, speaking at a forum at Westminster College, emphasized that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hasn't taken a position on any particular legislation. He did say, however, that he was speaking on behalf of the LDS Church's governing First Presidency.

That statement came on the heels of a statement from the Alliance for Unity opposing HB241, which would repeal a law that allows qualified but undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at state colleges and universities. Elder Russell M. Ballard, of the Quorum of the Twelve, is among community leaders who signed that statement.

The statements may not be as clear as, say, Bishop John Wester of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake, who is part of a national effort to pass comprehensive immigration reform. However, advocates said their meaning should be easily interpreted by LDS faithful.

"It's not a bullhorn type of thing," Michael Clara, a Latino community advocate and a member of the Utah Republican Hispanic Assembly said of his church's leadership style. "We get the message, I'm just wondering why legislators don't get the message."

Clara said the church ministers and proselytizes to Spanish speakers worldwide, but he believes some of Utah's lawmakers are "out of sync with the doctrine of the church, with the practice of the church and the overall concept of Christianity."

However, lawmakers on Wednesday said they are living up to the church's call.

House Majority Leader Dave Clark, R-Santa Clara, said lawmakers have taken a "very cautious approach."

He noted that last year there was hope for federal action, and while some illegal immigration bills passed in the House, none became law. But Congress hasn't acted on immigration reform, Clark said, and this year lawmakers are again considering many measures that they've seen before.

"They're just asking us to be deliberative in our process," Clark said. "We are living up to that."

Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, said that "they really want us to remember the human element" when debating the illegal immigration issue.