Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed into law a package of four bills that will increase immigration enforcement but also implement a guest worker program. One of the bills is similar to that in Arizona by requiring police to check the immigration status of anyone stopped for a felony or serious misdemeanor. The bill does not sweep as broadly as Arizona's but could likewise lead to a landslide of unintended consequences. Another bill creates a guest worker program for illegal immigrants in the state. And the last set of bills allow businesses to recruit Mexican workers and American citizens to sponsor foreign residents who want to work or study in Utah.
With the signing, Governor Herbert urged the federal government to address immigration. Because his signing of the measures upset both anti and pro-immigrant groups, he made it known that his primary goal was to force the federal government to act.
Fortunately, Utah's package of bills is focused on more than enforcement measures by implementing a guest worker program. Nonetheless, the country's broken immigration system will not mend through the passage of piecemeal legislation, state-by-state. Hopefully the federal government will heed Utah's call to action.
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