Drug running. Human trafficking. Violent felonies. Distributing fraudulent identification documents.

Utah House Bill 64, sponsored by Rep. Brad Dee, R-Washington Terrace, would create a multi-agency strike force, establish a Fraudulent Documents Identification Unit and form a team of lawyers from the Utah Attorney General's Office to crack down on these serious crimes.

On the surface, it seems like a fine idea, well worth the $891,000 annual expenditure.

If the state were flush with cash, and if the authorities were neglecting to investigate and deter these crimes, and if law enforcement agencies didn't already share information, and if the strike force were going to target all offenders instead of focusing on one group of people -- undocumented Latinos -- no one could possibly argue against this bill.

But the state is not flush with cash. Lawmakers are making Draconian spending cuts to balance the budget. And the poor economy, combined with federal immigration enforcement efforts, is already reversing the tide of undocumented immigrants: The Center for Immigration Studies reported last year that the number of immigrants in the country illegally had declined by 1.3 million from a 2007 peak.

Plus, law enforcement agencies already cooperate in investigations and target these sorts of crimes. (And if they don't, they should, regardless of the race, immigration status or country of origin of the perpetrator.)

The strike force, by focusing on these crimes only when committed by undocumented people, will be practicing selective law enforcement by statute. And that's plain wrong. These are serious offenses no matter who commits them.

Despite the obvious flaws and the poor timing, the bill was approved 69-5 by the House Monday and sent to the Senate for consideration.

If enacted, this misguided bill will take effect on July 1, coinciding with the implementation of Senate Bill 81, an equally ill-advised anti-immigration measure approved last year that denies services to undocumented residents and empowers state and local law enforcement agencies to enforce federal immigration laws. Critics correctly say SB81 will make immigrants who witness or are victims of crimes reluctant to cooperate with cops because they'll fear being deported.

Together, the two measures will cost the state nearly $2.7 million in fiscal 2010. Lawmakers should kill the bills, plow the money back into the budget, give the federal government time to enact comprehensive immigration reform, and let the police do their jobs without interference from the state.