Immigration bill passes in House
The state House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would delegate some of the duties of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal agency, to local law enforcement officers. The bill will now go to the Senate.
The bill, HB105, would allow law enforcement officers at state and local levels to volunteer to take on ICE-related responsibilities after additional training.
If the bill is passed, it will allow law enforcement officers to act as immigration officers during traffic stops and other routine duties.
Rep. Glenn Donnelson, R-North Ogden, the bill’s sponsor, expressed his confidence that the bill would be effective in Utah and said if it was not adopted, the state would see negative consequences.
He said, “If Utah fails to address the negative aspects of illegal immigration, as other states take action and go into the program, we will become a magnet state for illegal immigration.”
Opponents of the bill worry that it will actually do more harm than good.
Leo Bravo of the Multicultural Center of Cache Valley strongly opposes the bill. He helps many immigrants in Cache Valley. He expressed concern that the result of the bill would be that illegal immigrants who might have called the police in times of need would cease to do so out of fear of being punished for their illegal status.
“Right now people are willing to talk to law enforcement,” he said. “But if they pass the bill, forget it.”
Capt. Steve Milne of the USU Police Department agreed that if the bill passed it could make illegal immigrants shy away from working with the police. He also said there is the danger of a growing victim class – illegal immigrants who won’t report crimes committed against them for fear of deportation.
“If somebody’s a victim of a crime, they may run a risk of being deported,” he said.
Milne said the USU Police Department was unlikely to volunteer for the ICE training because it doesn’t deal as much with illegal aliens as other departments do. Also, the department is already short-handed and wouldn’t be able to spare an officer to do the training.
Others around the state share the same concern. Opponents of the bill say police departments are already overworked and should not be expected to shoulder extra responsibilities.
Rep. Fred Hunsaker, R-Logan, agreed that overworked law enforcement officers could be one of the detrimental effects of the bill. He chose not to vote for the bill because he said he believed “the additional authority would not be effective.”
Opponents of the bill also worry that it will encourage racial profiling. Rep. Jennifer Seelig, D-Salt Lake City, said if the bill is passed, certain citizens may be stopped just for “looking foreign.”
“This bill may not condone racial profiling,” she said, “but it certainly facilitates it.”
-dpedwards@cc.usu.edu