Sandstrom's Illegal Immigration Enforcement Bill, HB 70, is tabled in the House, by Amy Novoa

Representative Stephen E. Sandstrom (R) is the Chief Sponsor of H.B. 70: Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act. This bill requires that an officer verify the immigration status of a detained or arrested person upon reasonable suspicion the person is illegal, without considering race, color, or national origin. “What is reasonable suspicion?” and “How are you suspicious of someone without considering race, color, or national origin?” is what many members of our community are asking. This bill has brought up a lot of controversy.

“This bill is a contradiction on paper,” said Tevan Brown. There is no definition for “reasonable suspicion” in this bill or for “detained”. The ‘reasonable suspicion’ language in the bill brings great concerns to undocumented people. A Gear Up tutor said, “This bill is bogus because it would eventually lead to racial profiling and discrimination. It gives the cops more power to flaunt it about and come up with any reason under the sun to express their superiority.” Many people fear Law Enforcement would try to find ways to “detain” someone to verify their immigration status. If a Law Enforcement official chooses to detain and individual, local governments could incur a cost of about $100 per stop. Overall, Law Enforcement would not treat people fairly.

In our society, we often hear strong phrases directed towards immigrants in our communities and in the media. Immigrants are often stereotyped as criminals, because of their immigration status. Many believe this bill will influence Law Enforcement to put more emphasis on “suspicious” undocumented people.

Those who are not involved in illegal activity should not be punished. For those who are involved in criminal activity, it’s fair for them to receive punishment according to the level of crime committed. Not every foreign being in the U.S. is a criminal and they shouldn’t be treated as if they are.

Charlie Morgan, a professor at BYU researched incarceration rates for various racial and ethnic groups. He found, according to the 2000 Census; 1.7% are U.S.-born Whites (non-Hispanic), 0.68% Foreign-born, 0.99% Foreign-born Hispanics, and 0.70% are Foreign-born Mexicans. “Undocumented immigrants are responsible for only a small percentage of the problem [of crime in Utah],” said Morgan. Foreign-born residents are four times less likely to be incarcerated than U.S.-born whites. Undocumented immigrants are more careful to not commit crimes or be arrested because they risk much more than those who are documented residents.

We strongly oppose this bill. As a community we do not need discrimination or punishment towards innocent people. This bill passed the House 58 to 15 votes and went to the Senate. The Senate tabled the bill and it is now going back to the House to be revised. We do not support this bill, in whatever form it takes.