Poverty summit discusses reform

SALT LAKE CITY — State policymakers should consider the economic impact of any immigration legislation they develop before passing a bill that creates more problems than it solves — a message that resonated loudly with the audience at Saturday's annual People's Summit on Poverty in downtown Salt Lake City.

The meeting of local anti-poverty supporters focused on issues facing low-income populations and the homeless, including immigration and health care.

One of the hot-button topics was controversial legislation proposed by Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, which, much like a controversial Arizona law, would require law enforcement officials to ask about the immigration status of people they stop for other violations if they have "reasonable suspicion" that the people are in the country illegally. It also requires the state to ensure people are here legally if they apply for any state benefits.

Sandstrom's proposal has drawn harsh criticism from opponents who say the bill unfairly targets Latinos and has unintended consequences for all Utahns.

"This is not just about one population. This is about how it affects all of us," said Linda Hilton, director of the Salt Lake City-based Coalition of Religious Communities — an advocacy group for social justice. She said there does need to be "some kind" of immigration reform, but it should help alleviate some of the problems that currently exist, rather than creating more barriers and red tape to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

"There are many people who would like to be citizens who just can't work through the process because (it is too cumbersome)," she said. "There aren't resources to get them through the process."

"Many of them don't like to be here illegally. … They are trying to survive (and) trying to make a difference for their families, their futures and their children," Hilton said.

One local religious leader said the state should focus more of its energy on trying to support comprehensive immigration reform on the federal level, which would have the most positive overall benefit for the state and the nation.

"It's a broken system," the Rev. Martin Diaz of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City told the Deseret News. "Let's make sure that we have comprehensive reform that looks at the whole system."

He said just trying to keep or put immigrants out without trying to address the reason for their coming to the country would be unproductive.

"If you build a 20-foot wall, they are going to be selling 23-foot ladders on the other side," Daiz said. "It makes no sense to do enforcement only."

Diaz also echoed some of the same sentiments voiced by Hilton, saying the impact of "piecemeal" state legislation would be economically detrimental for Utah.

"Mass deportation will lose money (for the state)," he said. The best economic solution would be comprehensive reform, he reiterated.

"To spend any time on the state level worrying about immigration is to take away from those energies and efforts that would make for true economic benefit for everyone in this country," Diaz said.

e-mail: jlee@desnews.com