SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - An immigration bill being considered at the state capitol is heating up. The proposed bill would bring sweeping changes in illegal immigration enforcement.
The possible impact of Senate Bill 81 caused members of Salt Lake's Latino community to call an emergency meeting Saturday.
The state senate is scheduled to discuss and possibly vote on Senate Bill 81 Monday. Its author Senator Bill Hickman has promised a kinder and gentler approach toward the immigration issue.
The bill would take away in-state tuition, scholarships and financial aid for undocumented students and require employers to use a status verification system to hire workers. The bill would also make it a crime to knowingly transport illegal aliens or knowingly hide or harbor them. Latino leaders say if passed, it would cause the Hispanic community to leave Utah in droves.
“There is a tremendous economic impact from Latino immigrants coming into this community; as county assessor I can tell you that there are almost twenty thousand properties owned by people with Spanish surnames with a market value of $4.3 billion,” said Salt Lake County Assessor Lee Gardner.
Members of the community came together at the Mexican Civic Center on Saturday to learn what actions they could take to show their opposition to SB 81.
One man said Henry's law that protects pets shows more compassion for animals than for Latinos.
"What irony, that a little animal has more rights than us as human beings,” said one opponent.
Others said more had to be done in the Latino community before more could be expected. They were encouraged to show their support to governor huntsman who has indicated he may veto several immigration bills including Senate Bill 81.
