Have we gone so far to errode our constitutional rights that a state government is turning into a police state? Have private businesses monitored? Who can shop in my store is my business!!! More red tape, more regulations, less free enterprise and big brother breathing down our necks! This is going too far. What is next the Utah Style version of Kristal Nacht?

Utah businesses have demonstrated that they're incapable of resisting the temptation of cheap labor brought by illegal aliens. Jobs are the primary reason illegals come here, and the businesses are more than happy to let taxpayers subsidize these low wages.

Several legislators have conducted polls of their constituents and have found more than 90% favor the state rolling back benefits to illegals.

This bill MUst be passed in totality. Illegal aliens effect every aspect of our society in a negative way and must be accoutable to the laws which already exist. If anybody discounts the agenda that illegal aliens have I suggest you do an internet search on the words "atzlan" and "la raza". Perhaps this information will bring into focus the real intentions of illegal aliens. As Americans we must stop the "reconquista" or our children and grandchildren will pay a price that they will not be able to bear.

We have waited 20 years for congress to enforce laws and the illegals, it is time for the states to take action. The only economic and job suffering will be with the illeglas being unemployed and business having to collect and pay all the taxes to the state income, the IRS, SSA, and medicare. Busineses will have to hire american workers again that do pay the taxes to support social and retirement programs. Business has been running and capitalizing on undocumented and unaccountable labor long enough. If anything, these laws will help the economy and social programs by removing these non tax paying workers from the work force. The illegal workforce send more of their earning back to Mexico than they spend in the economy so with americans back to work the economy will have working americans spending their earnings in the american economy, not sending it out of the country. What the states need from the federal government is aid in deporting these illegals back across the Rio Grande and support for the federal border guards to do their job and keep these illgals out of the US. Illegals should be putting more efforts in extricating themselves from america.

Looks good to me...The less they get, the less reason illegals have to stay here. Please don't let this one get bogged down. It worked in Oklahoma, why not here?

No, it's not just your business if the shoppers are "illegal." This is what's at the heart of the issue.

Let me ask you, if someone were to decide to break into your home (meaning they were there illegally) because they wanted to share in your standard of living, began eating your food, sleeping in your bed, wearing your clothes, running up your utility bills, getting medical care on your insurances, drive your car, run up bills on your credit cards, etc., how long would you allow this to continue?

Have we gone so far as to have 30% of the foreign-born here illegally? Have we lost control of our borders to the point where 85% of the Mexicans entering since 2000 are here illegally? Is it so bad in our country that we receive more illegals than legals annually? Pew Hispanic Center says YES to all of these.
I was particularly interested to hear the comments from Latino activists. You would think these bills were attacking them. They aren't. These measures are calculated to detect and penalize illegal aliens.
So, are you folks illegal alien apologists or defenders of legitimate Latino immigrants and citizens? Be honest about your agenda, please.
I know you want to stop discrimination of Latinos, but you don't accomplish that by defending illegals. Is that so hard to understand?

It's time to do something about this problem. I don't get what part of illegal people don't understand. Are we supposed to look the other way for all crimes or only the ones we can profit from?

FINALLY! The legislature is actually acting to mitigate the problem of illegal immigrants. Almost every single one of these proposals is a common sense approach to the "enforcement only" solution to EFFECTIVELY deter illegal immigrants. I think that we all know that "mass deportations" wouldn't work, but through this bill, a combination of denying jobs to illegals combined with better enforcement of the law will create quite a disincentive for people to come here illegally.

We already have racial profiling. Now it is being legislated into the private sector. Actions of this type should turn the stomach of common decency.

You're comparing apples & oranges. Kristal Nacht was violence against German CITIZENS. These are illegal aliens, and they committed a crime by entering the USA illegally--they don't have constitutional rights! You should make a trip to AZ and see what has happened to a once fair city because our leadership chose to look the other way while businesses took advantage of the cheap labor. It might open your eyes a little.

It appears that the “constitutional rights” of U. S. citizens will be upheld with this bill. Our elected officials are finally getting the message. It’s the non-rights of illegal immigrants at issue here. The article clearly states that illegal’s can still shop in establishments such as yours: “It won't go so far as to deny, for example, a Costco card to an undocumented immigrant.” “Big brother” as you call government will be require to do its job by instituting a federal verification system for new hires by public employers and ensure that some illegal isn’t hired for a federal job rather than a legal resident of the U. S. The bill requires federal eligibility verification for public benefits. Do you like your taxes to go to pay for illegal aliens health care and public benefits? It will be a class A misdemeanor for harboring, concealing or transporting illegal immigrants. You can boob all you want and blame the government for its attempt to “errode’ (sic) our constitutional rights but it appears to me that they are finally doing what they should.

Liberty Jane: Nothing in this bill prohibits anyone form shopping. I does deny illegals the rights of citizenship that have been earned by legal immigrants. Forget "undocumented", they are ILLEGAL! If you don't like it, sneak into another country and see how you get treated. It is time to stop ignoring this invasaion and take back our country. If the feds won't do it, there is notheing in the constitution that prevents a state from protecting itself from foreign invasion. No, I am not prejudiced; I lived in a South American country for a number of years. However, I took an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic." I still carry that oath with me today.

as i travel the state just how many good upstanding members are really benefiting from these people as you see them working everywhere..aren't they suppose uphold the law of the land?

The combination of identity theft and the perception that the new immigrants expect all of us to learn Spanish has caused the feelings that are showing up. If someone is here illegally, they should be treated like humans, but why should the rest of us ...

You fill in the gap. It is a fine line between being strong on illegals, and becoming hateful and prejudice. Something David Levitt has figured out. Lets get rid of Cannon, and maybe we can fix this nationally as well.

I think I understand where the frustration against this bill is coming from. See, here in Utah we aren't used to the government performing its proper function. So when they actually decide to step up to the plate and do what the Constitution requires, well-meaning citizens become frustrated because they aren't sure what to think. The detractors of these actions by the legislators think that our tax money should go for more free lunch and universal health care. But here's a news flash: it looks to me like the American people are finally frustrated enough to shake of the shackles of apathy. Maybe it's because their once untouchable economy seems to be struggling, but whatever the reason, they are demanding action. Don't criticize the government for finally realizing that illegal immigration falls under the "all enemies, foreign and domestic" clause that they swore to uphold, because anyone willing to violate our laws daily just by their presence here is certainly not an ally. As for having compassion for my fellow brother, I ask you how it is compassionate to require legal applicants to wait in line while we house, feed and care for their illegal counterparts.

PASSSSSSS! this is a GREAT BILL. if it doesnt get passed then we are in trouble. i lost my job in construction cause the boss wanted to hire more mexicans to save money. its good for both races in the end. PASSSSSSS

I support this bill many of my veteran friends are actually taking orders from these people..they hire their own spanish speaking relatives then try to insinuate our veterans are mestisos. Ship them back..their are lines of demarcations called citizenship, loyalty to this country, respect with honesty and honor which our population has demonstrated time and again. If it weren't for my forefathers we may well be speaking a different language under a different form of government. And it is that form of government which makes those laws for all! Not just some! Don't lie, steal others IDs, then expect this true American citizen to buy into your plan of deception!

Read history all you immigrants. This land is Mexicos land. We need more culture and language from mexico. Viva Atzlan. Viva La Raza

The one items I noticed, about verification, needs some work. If I am hiring a consultant or contractor, all I can ask for is a W-9. No identification. I don't see how this will work. Providing I get the W-9, how am I supposed to find out if the person is lying? If they say they need a W-8, I wouldn't know what to do.

The other real problem is that I have no way of finding out if the person hiring me is here legally. There is no reverse W-9, and I typically wouldn't worry, but if I want to know for sure, there is no way to find out.

The only people having problems with this bill are illegal aliens, corrupt employers, and Yapias.

This issue will not go away dispite the crack down. The United States does not have the ability to send 12 million illegals back and to do so would break up families. There is no other reasonable solution than to provide a way for those who are here to obtain citizenship. They are not going to go back on their own dispite the crackdown. We will only continue to have the problem of having millions of people who are undocumented and unable to contribute to society. If we allow them to gain citizenship then they will contribute taxes, human resources and culturally to our society. It must eventually happen anyway. We must take measures to prevent more from coming but in reality this is not a problem that will go away on its own. I am not advocating amnesty, let them pay a fine that fits their crime (crossing a line to have the american dream) and lets move on.

A society must be very careful when scapegoating an entire group of people for their woes.
Look what happened to the Jews of Europe during WWII.

You can lead them back!

This is a good law. It is working in Arizona and Oklahoma. 10% to 15% of the Mexican popluation has already come here illegally. Does anyone really think we have the resources to support 30%, 50%, 70% of the Mexican popluation? (Yes, they will come if we don't do anything) What will it do to America's culture? (yes, we have one). What type of America do you want to give you your kids 20 years down the road??? One of rule of law and prosperity, or a 3rd world drug and lawless type of society? For our children, Legislature, please pass this bill.

This really is a tough issue and I feel very in the middle. My husband is an immigrant from Africa and we are working for citizenship legally, following all the rules, filling all the proper forms (with hefty $2000+ fees), and playing by the rules. It would be nice if our government made it easier for those who are trying to do things legally, but instead, they make you jump through a million hoops. Even with all we are going through, I still feel we need to have harsher laws for illegal immigration. The question here is not immigration, it is whether or not it was done LEGALLY. If it isn't, then these people need to evaluate whether or not staying in this country means enough to them to file the appropriate paperwork. If it doesn't, if it isn't worth the effort, then they should go back to where they came from.

The ignorance on this bill is overflowing. First of all, to assume all illegal aliens are mexicans and latinos seems racist to me. There are many people fleeing their countries because of war, ethnic cleansing and trying to have a better life. This bill empowers police, agencies and businesses to racial profile. Because I have a darker skin tone do you naturally assume I am an illegal?? That's a dangerous notion to encourage.

People worry about recession and then try to get rid of the labor that supports it. Do you want to pay $9 for an orange because there is no one there to pick it.

By the way, in case you are wondering I am a citizen of this immigrant nation. Unless you are a Native American, who are you calling an immigrant?

It's encouraging to know our legislature is doing something to address this major problem. I agree with some of the steps being proposed to discourage lawlessness and to encourage these people to go through the legal process of immigrating.

The basic anti immigration laws need to be changed. Valentine, et al, are going the wrong direction, please redirect your work, Valentine, et al. Instead of using the crutch of "enforcing existing laws" and writing more code to "enforce existing laws" which will have the end result of squashing some of the poor and helpless among us, you / we should instead be working on the root cause. Education, business investment, skills training, to better equip the poor and helpless among us to exist in our society.

We can afford it.

Take a siesta. Can you imagine how wonderful it will be when the land is returned to Mexico and we become just another third-world county? Those who are here illegally and their true leaders want us to become Upper-Mexico. If Mexico is such a lovely place and you want to return it to its natural splendor, why are all the Mexicans fleeing their home land and coming here where thinking people are willing to work hard and defend their country? Mexico has no military or defense (well, maybe an old mine-sweeper that the U. S. gave them) because no country wants it.

Listen to JIMMY. I know a man who was building homes in the Park City area. He returned to California after losing his job the way Jimmy did. Utah will have to solve this problem, as will other states. In the words of Mitt Romney, "Washington is Broken". The gutless wonders in Congress have no intention of fixing the problem.

What does the word ILLEGAL mean? Does it mean that law biding citizens that have lived in this country forever no longer have to abide by our countrys laws? If so lets all start to do whatever we want, or have to do to exsist. Just enforce in the laws as they are wrote PLEASE.

I get really sick of the illegal alien advocates acting like Americans are the problem! We are NOT the problem. Their criminal buddies who broke the law are the problem. These people have learned how to manipulate our good heartedness and use it against us. That makes me even angrier. The U.S. has the most liberal immigration laws in the world. If you want to come here, get in line and do it legally. And NO, we cannot take everyone in the world who wants to come here. We are 9 trillion dollars in debt and need to look after our own people first. A working man's first responsiblity is to look after his own family, not everyone else's in the neighborhood. The same should apply to nations. We need to take care of our own people and pay down our 9 trillion dollar national debt. We should allow the immigration of people we belive can add to our society, not unskilled laborers who take more out of the system than they put in. There is no such thing as cheap labor. Only cheap employers.

I am a white, middle-class male, and I deplore some of the aspects of this bill. Making those students that are undocumented pay out-of-state tuition only accomplishes one thing: perpetuate the cycle of low income, high crime, and hopelessness.

Making higher education unaffordable to qualifying students will only lead to further marginalization and a sub-class of citizen. They grow up here, think of themselves as Americans, but are not allowed contribute to the economy? Pricing a group of students out of the education market is not the answer!

I urge more people to consider the words that the LDS Church leaders said to our state lawmakers. These are human beings. Have compassion and introduce an element of humanity.

AMEN KEVIN OF TEXAS!
WELL SAID!!!!!

Only racist people on this forum!

Re.: C. de la Cruz.
I think you need to read history, Mexico "Sold You Out!" when they took the money from the US for this land,(that you think is yours.)

So sorry for the truth!

So they just all come here to work? Really.

C. de La Cruz (7:04) says it all.

Any Questions why there is so much distrust and animosity towards illegal imagrants aside from the fact they are breaking the law and using resources paid for by US taxpayers. Their attitude is one of conquest, and legions of socialist PC thought police will never convince us that it isn't.

Don't say to much, though, they might send La Raza or MS-13 to your front door, along with the thought police, for a nice social visit that includes some diversity and sensitivity training.... along with a demonstration of real racisim.

Wake up all you sleepers.

This bill will turn back the clock in Utah and return it to the days before the 1963 repeal of the law against inter-racial marriage.

If you own an office building and have highered one of the unemployed people who you hometaught to clean your office building. Are you now a criminal if they are not a legal immigrant.

This bill is a lawyers dream come true, creating a whole new basis on which to bring suits. It is stupid and narrow minded. If it passes it will show that the people of Utah have rejected the idea of Christian kindness.

Equally distrubing is the end of instate tuition. What do these people want, to create a class of Hispanics who are permanantly under-educated and exploitable in low level jobs. This sounds like a step towards recreation of the combination of race and class in the slave system.

Does Utah want to be the first state to recreate the slave system. Utah used to have politicians who would stand up for basic principals of treating others humans as good even when the rest of their party was attacking these people. It now seems to just repeat the evil of others.

...should really learn some history. The US government PAID Mexico $15 million dollars (over $300 million dollars today) for this land as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo a couple of years after the Mormons arrived here.

Not that the Mexican government cared anyway; there wasn't a Mexican settlement within 400 miles of here when the Mormon pioneers arrived. As far as Mexico was concerned, this land was pretty much worthless and the Mormons were welcome to it.

And as for the idea that the Mexicans were the first ones here, I think the Utes, Paiutes, Goshutes, Shoshoni, and Dine would have a thing or two to say about that.

Jimmy, I'm sorry you lost your construction job. However, your answer is not to kick out all undocumented workers - which, by the way, is a completely unfeasible prospect. The answer is to gain skills that will make you more employable.

Don't blame other people for your lack of incompetence. You have no right to demonize others in a lame attempt to shift your personal responsibility. Look to yourself to pull yourself out of your situation, not the government.

Fear. So many of you are reactionary due to your fears. This shows a complete lack of faith in a higher power.

President Hinckley's final instructions before he passed on, were to have compassion and love for these people. Take a step back and be patient. So many of you ignore this, from a Prophet of God.

Do you know, that since Utah recinded the Drivers License...there is NO WAY for an illegal to board a plane to leave the country...even if they WANT to adjust status by going home?

Did you know, that Texas, after subtracting all the monetary losses in areas of loss, the State of Texas receives MILLIONS more from the illegals than they lose?

Utah the same.

I know many illegals. They are not here to take over. The come to escape extreme poverty to the point of starvation.

They come to the US to create a life for their children.

They come because they are guided by the spirit to do so.

They come illegally, because the "legal" avenue is all but non-existant. Don't believe the "Why don't they come the right way?" The right way has been taken away.

oke, steeling is steeling. If someone steels a car he gets arrested. If an illegal steels MY tax money I want him/her arrested too. It is mas simple as that. It does not matter where the illegals come from. Braking the law is braking the law.

Senor De La - I have been to Mexico. It is a poorly governed and corrupt country. Mexico was established centuries before the U.S. and what have they accomplished? Advances in medicine? Nyet. Science? Nada. Why are millions of illegals coming here? To improve our country or to exploit it?

funny this is Mexico mmmm how come no mexican developed, now they want it because they can't develop their own country. Mmmm if we are being racist because we want the law enforce against ILLEGAL ALIENS then here's one statement - where oh where would the MEXICAN be or have if it weren't for the white man. Mexico sold out many moons ago and this land was the American Indian land not Mexican COME ON AMERICAN INDIANS TAKE YOUR CLAIM AGAINST ALL

Why the rush to condemn undocumented workers?
Why no rush to condemn the businesses that hire them?

(that is a rhetorical question by the way; i think we all know the answer).

There is a LEGAL way. Have you ever taken the time to investigate it? I am not saying it is an easy way, but if they are really here to escape poverty and to build a better life for their children, then do it the legal way, that is all we ask.

Some of you don't realize that many of the illegal immigrants DO NOT want to become citizens of the USA. They would never want to swear allegiance to our flag or our country. Some, who make good money here, send it "home" where it can support 3-5 families. The system now IS working for them. There is evidence to support the idea that the Mexican portion is here to create Mexico North. This is a problem for all those who share the same skin color but not the same motives.
To those who believe families will be split apart, the children born in the USA can go with their parents as in most countries they have dual citizenship. Extended families are often separated by miles/countries. This is not a hardship or cruel.
Immigration the legal way requires a person to “prove” they will pledge allegiance to our country. The process is time consuming to weed out the ones not committed to becoming PART of our great country.

I wonder why Antonella Romero Packard finds law enforcement and equal treatment under the law "disgusting". She and Tony do a disservice to all of the legal Hispanic Utahns, in suggesting that the issue is one of race rather than fairness and rule of law.

The status quo happens to favor Mexicans over every other nationality in the world. I wonder what Ms. Packard has against Haitians or Hmong? Why does she think illegal Hispanic immigrants are more deserving that they should be able to jump ahead of everyone else.

"Satan is indeed running loose in the world.
And he is racism."
- Noble Prize Winner and Holocaust surviver, Elie Wiesel.