SALT LAKE CITY — On the heels of the April 17 release of an 844-page bill for federal immigration reform from the bipartisan group of U.S. senators called the "Gang of Eight," the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, joined several other prominent Utahns in commenting on the proposal.
Those participating in the April 17 teleconference for the Partnership for a New American Economy were Bishop Wester; Mark Shurtleff, former Utah attorney general, now a partner at Troutman Sanders LLP; Lane Beattie, president & CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce; Jason Mathis, executive director of the Salt Lake City Downtown Alliance; and Tim Wheelwright, a partner at Kuck Immigration Partners.
All of the men said they are encouraged by the Gang of Eight’s proposal and that they feel comprehensive immigration reform must occur for both humane and economic reasons.
Speaking as a member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Bishop Wester said he welcomed the Senate bill, and urged Congress to begin the immigration debate in earnest. "We believe that the time has finally come when we can really fix our broken immigration system, which has sadly led to the division of so many families," he said.
The existing system is broken, Mathis agreed. "Nobody wins with the status quo," he said. "It is not an effective system for immigrants, it’s not an effective system for employers, it’s not an effective system for our communities and for our country."
From a business standpoint, immigration reform "is an economic issue, it is a fairness issue, it is a human rights issue, it is a Constitutional issue," Beattie said.
Seven years ago, Congress contemplated comprehensive immigration legislation but failed to pass it; the failure was primarily due to misinformation spread by those who opposed it, Shurtleff said. Therefore, he now is working with the national conservative group Bibles, Badges and Business to disseminate accurate information about the issue. The new proposal, he said, is comprehensive and common-sense reform "that we would hope that everybody would be able to get behind."
The proposal includes $3 billion for border protection, which is a critical element of immigration reform, Shurtleff said, but the legislation must address all aspects of the issue, including how to deal with those people who are already in the country illegally. "This will not happen in a piecemeal fashion," he said.
Among the issues other than security that must be addressed are the dignity of persons, the unity of families, appropriate wage and worker protection and the need for more temporary worker visas, Bishop Wester said. The final legislation must "combine enforcement policies with humane provisions," he said.
While the proposal will go through many legislative hearings and most likely see many changes, "finally we have a framework for reform that is already based on compromise; it appears to strike a balance that will be a great starting point for the discussion over the coming weeks," Wheelwright said.
The proposal isn’t perfect but the discussion about comprehensive immigration reform can now continue, he said, adding that as he reads through the proposal, "I’m impressed with how much ground they have managed to cover with this legislation."
As with Shurtleff’s group, the USCCB is working hard to educate people about the need for and benefits of comprehensive immigration legislation reform, Bishop Wester said, and he encourages Catholics to contact their legislators to voice their support for this issue. "It’s critically important for people to make their voices heard," Bishop Wester said. "We are pledging ourselves here in Utah and on the national level to work with Congress to improve upon the bill being brought to Congress now so that the undocumented can come out of the shadows and reach an earned status within a reasonable amount of time."
Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, "pledged that the U.S. bishops would carefully examine the legislation and work with Congress to ensure that any final measure respects the basic human rights and dignity of migrants," according to a USCCB press release.
"I welcome the introduction of legislation today in the U.S. Senate," Archbishop Gomez said. "The U.S. bishops look forward to carefully examining the legislation and working with Congress to fashion a final bill that respects the basic human rights and dignity of newcomers to our land—migrants, refugees, and other vulnerable populations."
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