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UT ACLU lauds sanctuary proponents The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah celebrated 51 years of advocacy in the state Saturday evening with a gala event featuring award presentations and a keynote address by MSNBC commentator Rachel Maddow. The group, described by executive director Karen McCreary as the 'state's pre-eminent voice in defense of religious liberty, privacy and freedom of expression,' feted youth activists from around the state, as well as Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank, who was recognized for his strong stand on the role of municipal police in immigration enforcement. Utah Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck, D-Salt Lake, presented an award to Burbank and lauded the chief for his choice not to participate in a federal cross-deputization program to train Salt lake cops for immigration-related duties - a voluntary element of 2008's immigration omnibus bill, SB81, set to take effect in July. The Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City)

UT law to allow illegals health care access Health care providers feared SB81 would curtail vital health services to immigrants. Turns out, the reform bill passed in 2008 will have little impact. The attorney general's office has identified... UT authorities to continue enforcement efforts despite SCOTUS ruling Federal law enforcement officials say they will continue enforcing immigration laws in the same way despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The court ruled that undocumented immigrants who have... Border hawks protest UT foreign labor plan About 20 protesters gathered outside of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce building Friday to protest the organization's plan for a state-sponsored guest-worker program. In this year's legislative session, the...

More Utah Immigration News

UT illegals still eligible for food aid for children

For a growing number of Utah Latinos, feeding their children has made them afraid. They worry that getting help from an emergency food bank might lead to deportation. They fear that signing their American-born children up for food stamps would...
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UT police awaiting guidance from state's attorney general

West Valley City Police Chief Phayle 'Buzz' Nielsen has many more questions than answers about a new state law that allows him to cross-deputize officers as immigration agents: * How many officers would have to be trained by U.S. Immigration...
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Utahns seek answers on enforcement from local pols

St. George -- Only five residents spoke up during Wednesday's public forum with the St. George City Council, and all five brought up concerns with illegal immigration. Since January of 2008, the city has implemented several new policies, mandating that...
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UT county rejects terse resolution

Orem -- Utah County Republicans defeated a resolution opposing well-heeled groups that a delegate claims are pushing a satanic plan to encourage illegitimate births and illegal immigration. Don Larsen, a Springville delegate, offered the resolution, titled 'Resolution opposing the Hate...
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UT philanthropists expand integration efforts

Midvale -- The women drawing their needles back and forth Saturday morning were practicing a sewing stitch that could one day change their lives. As members of the new 'Mothers Club,' they are gaining skills and learning how to start...
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UT city to enforce new state law

West Valley City -- Another city's police force says they will be enforcing a new and controversial law. West Valley City says their offices will enforce SB 81, which allows officers to ask for proof of citizenship or immigration status....
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UT law causes healthcare worries

Some health care providers in Utah have raised concerns about the effects of a new law (SB 81), set to take effect July 1, requiring agencies to verify patients' legal status before providing certain government-funded health services, the Salt Lake...
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New UT law cracks down on health care abuse

Midvale, UT -- One woman has had constant headaches for six months. Another hasn't seen a doctor in two or three years and wants a checkup. And a third is worried about her daughter's hours-long nosebleeds. All are at a...
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UT pol 'resigned' to local rejection of enforcement law

The lawmaker who expressed outrage at Salt Lake City's refusal to enforce federal immigration law now appears resigned to the decision by the capital city and other police agencies -- including the Utah Highway Patrol -- to opt out of...
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UT attorney general seeks to clarify enforcement package

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is trying to clear up misunderstandings about Senate Bill 81, a controversial immigration measure set to take effect in July. He says most people haven't read the bill, and don't understand that it doesn't target...
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UT Highway Patrol rejects enforcement

West Valley City, UT -- In what might be the most symbolic setback yet for the state's new immigration law, the director of the Utah Highway Patrol says troopers will not be certified as immigration agents. 'We are concerned about...
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UT laws crack down on illegal aliens

Two new laws mean tougher criminal enforcement against undocumented immigrants who commit crimes. Now, most undocumented jail inmates are released from custody, according to Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. Jails report undocumented inmates to federal immigration enforcement officials known as...
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UT Minutemen discuss city's rejection of law

West Valley City, UT -- Utah Minute Men held a meeting to discuss a course of action Monday night in response to a new immigration law, Senate Bill 81, which allows local officers the option to cross-deputize as federal immigration...
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UT AG to form task force on illegals' crimes

Cedar City, UT -- Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said he plans to create a task force that will focus on major felony crimes committed by illegal immigrants. Speaking at Southern Utah University last week, Shurtleff said the task force...
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More UT police departments refuse state policies

Park City Police Chief Wade Carpenter will not cross-deputize his officers as immigration agents. And, on Friday, he labeled the new Utah law that outlines the practice as 'window dressing' and a 'knee-jerk reaction' to a serious problem. 'I don't...
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Latino leaders address UT proposal

Hyde Park, Cache County -- Nearly 500 members of Cache Valley's Latino community packed St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church Thursday to learn more about SB81, a new immigration reform bill. The measure is slated to take effect July 1 and...
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Salt Lake City refuses to uphold UT enforcement laws

The Salt Lake City Police Department's decision not to participate in a new law that will allow local officers to enforce federal immigration law has infuriated the bill's legislative sponsor. 'I'm worked up about this,' said Rep. Mike Noel, House...
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Salt Lake City rejects Utah enforcement package

Salt Lake City -- There may be retribution for police not enforcing Utah's new immigration law. Senate Bill 81 makes it more difficult for illegal immigrants to get a job and to utilize some government services. But the responsibility of...
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Advocates fear UT license law will lead to profiling

A new law that may flag undocumented immigrants has supporters calling it the strongest anti-illegal immigration legislation passed to date while many in the Latino community worry it could lead to increased racial profiling. Starting next Jan. 1, SB40 will...
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UT officials weigh effects of federal policy on new state statutes

Preparations are moving forward on upcoming implementation of new Utah immigration statutes as state officials wait to see how pending federal policy changes could affect enforcement efforts. Utah's top law enforcement officer has also pledged to make communication with the...
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UT Latinos fret impending immigration regulations

Hyde Park, UT -- With a comprehensive immigration reform bill set to become law on July 1, fear and confusion seem to be gripping Cache Valley's Latino community. Almost 500 Latinos showed up at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church on...
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Two charged with smuggling illegals killed in UT crash

Two Mexican nationals whose van was in a single-vehicle accident that killed two passengers have been charged with transporting people who entered the United States illegally. The U.S. Attorney's Office filed the charges on Wednesday against Jose Ricardo Gomez-Garcia, 20,...
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UT city mulls joining enforcement program

West Valley City -- City leaders are looking into whether the city should be helping the federal government crack down on undocumented immigrants. The City Council this week asked city administrators to examine whether West Valley City should create a...
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UT school system freed from federal monitoring

It took eight years and $1.2 million. But Salt Lake City School District is now free from federal scrutiny for failing to properly educate non-English speaking students. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights ended...
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UT governor signs enforcement task force bill

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. signed 103 bills into law Friday, nearly a quarter of the more than 450 passed in the recent legislative session. While some measures could double as sleep aids, others have been strikingly more controversial. Rep. Brad...
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UT enforcement package on track for July

Despite outcries from immigrant community activists, the comprehensive immigration reform passed last year in SB81 will be implemented in July, with a few minor tweaks from legislators this session. The bill's opponents had hoped to delay the bill's implementation, and...
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UT man charged with defrauding foreigners

A man faces federal charges accusing him of extorting money from illegal immigrants while pretending to be an immigration agent. Some of the alleged victims, federal prosecutors say, were found through the man's LDS Church ward. Hillmar Ivan Jerez appeared...
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