In Utah, Patriotic Immigration Reform Activists Turn Up the Heat on Backdoor Amnesty "Traitors"

In my two earlier blogs, here and here, I wrote about Utah’s HB 116, a bill signed by Republican RINO Governor Gary Herbert on March 15. Herbert’s bill—a smoke-filled room deal cut with like-minded amnesty advocates—that would create a new guest worker program, permit illegals and their families (with no stated limit on the numbers of persons) to reside in Utah; establish a migrant worker partnership with Mexico, allow businesses to recruit workers directly from Mexico (and thereby pass over unemployed Utahns) and allow any Utah resident to "sponsor" a "family" of illegal immigrants to join them in Utah but without defining whether that is immediate or extended family or if there is any cap on family reunification.

Herbert referred to his bill, a backdoor amnesty, as the "Utah Solution."

Utah’s patriotic activists quickly rebelled. They launched an online repeal campaign with a four-part purpose: kill the bill, educate the public about its evils, target for removal from office those legislators who voted for it and send a warning to future elected officials that Utahns will not tolerate its government going behind the public’s back as it did with HB 116.

Now, the patriots have stepped up their protest. A group of Republican delegates gathered at the State Capitol to demand that HB 116 be repealed  during a special fall session and called those who support the bill "traitors" to Utah.

Brandon Beckham, one of the opposed delegates, said: "Those that drafted this bill are traitors to Utah, and they will be held accountable by voters in 2012."

Sen. Stuart Reid, R-Ogden, the chief sponsor of HB 116, condemned Beckham’s remark. And Reid continued to advocate for his hurtful guest worker amnesty when he said: "I think it’s over the top for anybody to make a comment like that. What we are trying to do is make Utah safer, more secure and better manage the illegal immigration challenges that this state is facing."

But a more accurate HB 116 analysis came from Senator Steve Urquhart. In Urquhart’s opinion: "It just doesn't work to have 50 states come up with their own amnesty scheme, their own immigration naturalization scheme, and that is what is going on here. This legislation, H.B. 116, is constitutionally impermissible." [Immigration Law Opponents Call for Repeal of HB 116, by Billy Hesterman, Daily Herald, July 21, 2011]

Because of heavy pressure from anti-amnesty Utahns, HB 116 as written is likely dead and a replacement bill is in the works although no timetable has been set.

Governor Herbert, who will certainly face a re-election challenge from within his party, is feeling the heat.