Utah Governor Signs Immigration Reform Bills
On March 15, 2011, Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert signed into law four immigration reform bills, which combined constitute what he calls "the Utah Solution":
• H.B. 116, the Guest Worker Program Act, which, in addition to establishing a guest worker program for Utah, outlines when a law-enforcement officer is required or permitted to request verification of immigration status
• H.B. 466, Migrant Workers and Related Commission Amendments, which, among other things, provides for the creation of a Migrant Worker Visa Pilot Program
• H.B. 469, Immigration Related Amendments, which, among other things, enacts the Utah Pilot Sponsored Resident Immigrant Program Act
• H.B. 497, the Utah Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act, which, among other things, requires that an officer verify the immigration status of a person arrested for a felony or a class A misdemeanor and a person booked for class B or C misdemeanors and requires that an officer attempt to verify immigration status for a person detained for a class B or C misdemeanor; provides for transportation of an illegal alien to federal custody by a state or local law-enforcement officer; and amends peace officer arrest authority to include making an arrest when the officer has reasonable cause to believe the person is an alien subject to an immigration removal order, and regarding whom a detainer warrant has been issued, who has committed or been charged with a felony in another state.
Governor Herbert said, "Today I challenge our federal delegation and those who work alongside them in Washington, D.C.: It is time to get off the sidelines and have a meaningful dialogue about immigration in this country. ... [W]hat we have begun today is a framework for a national conversation about immigration and a means to engage the federal government."
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