Salt Lake to host four-state immigration summit Oct. 26

SALT LAKE CITY — Business, political, law enforcement and faith leaders from four western states will meet in Utah on Oct. 26 for a summit on the value of immigrants and immigration to the nation.

Syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette and Mayor Paul Bridges of Uvalda, Ga., who will discuss the negative impact of immigration legislation on Georgia's economy, are the keynote speakers.

The summit "Forging a New Consensus on Immigrants and America," will also include presenters from Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, The Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake, and representatives of the Salt Lake Chamber are among the Utah presenters. The summit will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the City Center Marriott.

The day before the summit, attorneys with the Department of Justice plan to visit Utah to further review the state's illegal immigration enforcement law, which is the subject of a legal challenge by civil rights organizations.

Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, another summit sponsor, said Utah has emerged as a national leader on the issue of immigration. While the upcoming summit is regional in nature, the entire nation needs to forge a new consensus on immigrants and the nation, he said.

"If we're going to meet this challenge in way that moves our country forward, we're going to have to have a rational discussion," Noorani said during a telephone interview Friday.

The summit will focus on the economy, security and faith.

Specifically, the economic discussion will address the role that immigrants and immigration play in the current regional economy, and their importance to the future of the region’s economy across a number of sectors.

The segment on security will address the relationship between immigrants and law enforcement with respect to the region's sense of security.

The discussion on faith is expected to cover how religious communities have been affected by the influx of immigrants to the region.