Utah Republicans Press to Punish Those Who Hire Illegals

Republicans in the Utah House vowed Thursday to continue their push for immigration restrictions they proposed that would tighten enforcement and sanction employers who hire illegal immigrants, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Friday.

The state Senate proposed an omnibus bill, which Gov. Gary Herbert backs, based on principles that business and religious leaders agreed upon. Those values include respecting the law and humanity of people, accountability for businesses, and empowering law enforcement.

House Speaker Becky Lockhart of Provo and Majority Leader Brad Dee of Ogden defended the work the House had done.

“We have members of our caucus who have worked upwards of a year and vetted and vetted with every partner and have taken input from every source to arrive at those bills,” Lockhart said. “We will continue to do our work and we have done great work.”

For more than an hour Thursday, Senate Republicans met to discuss the issue. While Senate leaders acknowledge the House members’ preference for individual bills, they said the issue now shifts to the Senate.