Regarding the letter to the editor “Board fails to do its duty” on May 25:
Mesa’s Human Relations Advisory Board did not play “hot potato” with the issue as the author put it. They researched the issue of immigration diligently, heard from all sides, and came to a decision. In point of fact, they postponed work on two major issues in order to address the Utah Compact. Were you aware that it took a year for the original authors of the compact to come to an agreement?
There was a motion to pass the Utah Compact to the council in April. It was made by someone anxious to do something. However it neglected certain necessary steps. Further it was made without testimony from the Mesa Police Department or detailed information or statistics on the impact of current immigration policies on children and families. Additionally, in order for the compact to have any chance of passing the Mesa City Council, it needed to be accompanied by a summary of research and public comment.
On May 25, the board that you despise voted unanimously to forward the Mesa Compact to the Mesa City Council along with the summary, the research, public comments, etc. Additionally they voted to adopt and endorse, as an official position of the board, the Utah Compact. Further they voted to hold open discussions with residents of Mesa on immigration.
As to those who disagree with the Mesa Compact, I would advise that you take your blinders off, lose the impediments of rhetoric, and read the compact with an open mind.
Rachel Hemmings, Mesa
Dale Whiting posted at 2:15 pm on Thu, Jun 2, 2011.
The Utah Compact is the sort of comprehensive approach to addressing immigration problems that the entire nation needs to examine.
All of this stone throwing on the immigration problem which has been written into such measures as SB1070 fails to address the roots of the problem. Odd isn't it that the author of SB1070 is a local Mormon yet was either ignorant of or not impressed with the work done in the Mormon dominated state to our north. Why was that?
Leon Ceniceros posted at 2:32 pm on Thu, Jun 2, 2011.
The Utah Compact is nothing but..........AN END-RUN AROUND ...."ILLEGAL ALIEN AMNESTY".
NO ILLEGAL ALIENS WILL BE DEPORTED.
ILLEGAL ALIENS WILL QUALIFY FOR;
EVERY....SOCIAL SECURITY PROGRAM
EVERY....WELFARE PROGRAM UNDER THE SUN
EVERY....HUD AND SECTION-8 FREE HOUSING PROGRAM
EVERY....FOOD STAMP PROGRAM
EVERY....OBAMA-CARE HEALTH PROGRAM
THE UTAH COMPACT IS..............JUST ANOTHER.....SOCIALIST PROGRAM TO BANKRUPT AMERICA SO THAT .........COMMIE CHINA.....OR ....COMMIE RUSSIA .......CAN TURN AMERICA INTO A............3RD WORLD "DEBTOR" NATION.
Accuracy posted at 4:12 pm on Thu, Jun 2, 2011.
Late last year, a group called East Valley Patriots for American Values (or “Patriots for Illegal Immigrant Values”) asked the Mesa City Council to endorse the so-called Utah Compact. After illegal immigration debate, a seven-member Mesa Human Relations Advisory Board unanimously voted May 25th to forward a modified version of the compact to the City Council.
The Utah Compact has stirred concern because of its contrast with Arizona's immigration law SB1070 that was passed and signed into law by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer a little more than a year ago, and Utah's new (Arizona-style) immigration law signed into law by Utah Gov. Gary Herbert this year.
The Utah Compact is a document endorsed by political and business leaders, and some Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints members (in Utah) that is intended to set guidelines for the state's immigration debate. Not as tough as Arizona’s immigration law, but will still use local enforcement focusing on local crime.