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Utah Compact a Balanced, Conservative Approach to Immigration Reform

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Utah's Arches National ParkA balanced, conservative approach to immigration policy?

That’s not something we’ve heard much about recently, what with all the extreme campaign rhetoric and Arizona’s hardline approach. But this week, a broad coalition in Utah that includes conservatives and Republicans gives immigration reform advocates a reason to hope that a rational dialogue on this contentious issue is possible. Other states would be wise to follow Utah’s lead, after lawmakers and public officials unveiled an exciting development called the “Utah Compact.”

The Utah Compact was created “to create a constructive, civil community dialogue about Utah’s role in fixing the nation’s broken immigration system” and was created by a broad coalition of political, business and religious leaders including the Sutherland Institute, United Way, Salt Lake Chamber, Utah Attorney General’s Office, Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office, and the Catholic Diocese. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) also supports the principles outlined in the document.

From the Utah Compact website:

“The Utah Compact was developed over several months by groups and individuals who were concerned about the tone of Utah’s immigration discussion. The Compact is based on Utah values and we urge our leaders to use these guiding principles as they address the complex challenges associated with a broken national immigration system…It is a simple document that expresses our values as community as they relate to specific policy issues that have become central to the immigration discussion.”