Softer on immigration? Poll shows Utahns are split on giving in-state tuition rates to undocumented

It appears Utahns are softening up on a get-tough approach to immigration.

Just last month, 63 percent favored repealing a law that gives in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants at Utah's public colleges and universities. But a new poll shows that now Utahns are pretty evenly split on the issue.

The poll conducted Saturday for the Deseret Morning News and KSL-TV shows that 41 percent want to keep the in-state tuition law on the books, while 51 percent want it overturned. The Dan Jones & Associates poll of 241 Utahns has a margin of error of 6.4 percent.

"That's remarkable. That's really incredible news," said Theresa Martinez, co-chairwoman of the Utahns for the American Dream Coalition. "We've been trying to get the word out to the community that this is a wrong-minded bill."

The group had a little help this week, after the Alliance for Unity released a statement opposing HB241, which would repeal a law that allows qualified but undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at state colleges and universities. Elder M. Russell Ballard, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Quorum of the Twelve, was one of many powerful community leaders who signed that statement.

Shortly after, Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the LDS Church's Quorum of the Seventy urged the predominantly LDS Legislature to take a "more thoughtful, factual, not to mention humane, approach" to immigration policy and to "measure twice before they cut." However, Jensen did say the church has not taken an official position on the in-state tuition bill.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Glenn Donnelson, R-North Ogden, said he wasn't surprised that the tides are changing on the public's view of immigration bills.

"I'm sure with the events of the last couple of days, people softened," Donnelson said. "I'm sure of that."

But a third of those polled said their opinion wasn't swayed by the statements by the LDS Church and Alliance for Unity.

However, the poll doesn't make it clear where those who responded stood on the issue before the statements were made.

Currently, students can pay the in-state rate at public colleges and universities, regardless of their legal status, if they attend a Utah high school for three years and graduate.

The history of the proposed tuition repeal is a contentious one. Last year, a similar measure, also sponsored by Donnelson, died in a tied vote when a co-sponsor was absent.

This year's legislation already is seeing some movement in the Legislature.

On Tuesday, the Utah House of Representatives approved the bill by a 39-35 vote, after it was amended to delay the effective date so that students who enroll by Sept. 30, 2010, would be able to take advantage of the tuition waiver.