Groups meet to talk over immigration laws

Attorneys seeking to challenge Utah's new immigration-related laws met with representatives from Attorney General Mark Shurtleff's office Tuesday to discuss details of implementation.

Shurtleff's chief deputy Raymond Hintze said Wednesday that clarifications were offered on how different state agencies will meet mandates of SB81, the immigration reform bill passed by the 2008 Legislature that went into effect July 1 this year.

One provision of the bill calls for legal presence verification for public employees, contractors and their employees who work for the state and political subdivisions and for those who receive certain public benefits. State level agencies have begun the screening process using the federal E-Verify program and the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements Program.

Tim Wheelright, an attorney acting as a spokesperson for the group working to challenge SB81, said that while efforts to seek an injunction on SB81 before its implementation were scrapped, legal action is likely forthcoming and could be announced as early as next week.

In the meantime, a coalition of groups has formed to monitor how the laws are put into effect. The coalition is creating a database to track possible abuses. Participants include the Utah Refugee and Immigration Integration Coalition, Comunidades Unidas and the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah.

E-MAIL: araymond@desnews.com