Otherwise, to drive legally in Utah, residents without a valid U.S. visa must obtain a driving privilege card. While not accepted as official identification with any government entity, some banks and, more important, auto insurance companies now accept it.
In the minds of many, something had to be done. I'm not convinced, however, that the reasoning used justified the solution. Be that as it may, we now must live with the consequences of this action.
What will be the result of such a law on all of our undocumented population? What will the fallout be? How will this law affect Utah's economy? And why should we even care?
Some folks, however, are concerned and rightfully so. State officials are going to considerable effort to inform Hispanics in unprecedented community meetings that they will not be profiled or prosecuted, that there is no need for them to leave. Here's why the state cares, and why we all should.
The non-partisan research organization, Pew Hispanic Center, recently listed Utah among five states with an undocumented population of between 48 and 54 percent of the state's foreign-born population. Nationally, the foreign-born were quantified as: Mexican, 57 percent, followed by 24 percent from other Latin American countries. If you're counting, that's 81 percent officially Hispanic. The remainder comprises Asians, 9 percent, Europeans and Canadians, 6 percent. and finally, 4 percent are from Africa and other countries.
Additionally, claims of a severe undercount in the 2000 Census only argue for higher numbers of undocumented. For example, Hispanic migrant workers who arrive in Utah every year and stay for various months are not counted.
In a recent study, University of Utah professor Dr. Armando Solorzano estimates that 70 percent of the service workers in the state are undocumented. We can safely deduce that Hispanics are at least 81 percent of the undocumented population, and likely much more. Additionally, we can also deduce that undocumented are at least 45 percent of the Hispanic population, and roughly one-half.
To further understand why we should care, let's look at their buying power - defined as income available after taxes for spending on goods and services. Hispanic buying power, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth, more than doubled nationwide since 1990 from $223 billion to $580 billion, and is expected to reach as much as $1 trillion by 2010.
In Utah alone, Latinos spend approximately $4.5 billion annually (that's billion with a "B"). The Selig Center further projects Utah's Hispanic purchasing power will be just under $6 billion by 2007 (again, that's billion with a "B").
Furthermore, Latino buying power takes on an amazing new dimension if we consider that they have the lowest average salaries in Utah. The Department of Employment Services reports that 70 percent of the immigrants are in jobs that pay 50 cents above minimum wage.
Moreover, despite popular belief among legislators, Hispanic immigrants do not "send most of their paychecks to their home countries," but instead spend the overwhelming majority here. Thus, Hispanic immigrants are the state's big business as they spend a considerable percentage of their incomes in the local economy despite their lowest earnings.
For the sake of argument, let's assume Utah's undocumented population is 45 percent of Utah's Hispanic population. Further, we can safely assume that Utah Hispanic buying power is currently $4.5 billion. And if all of the Hispanic undocumented left the state of Utah as a result of the recent legislation - an example of which was reported in a recent Salt Lake Tribune article by Jennifer Sanchez - then Utah could expect an economic downturn to a tune of $2 billion, annually (that's billion, with a "B").
Keep in mind, this is only the purchasing side of the equation and doesn't take into consideration the contributions made by undocumented through their labor and production. The success of U.S. capitalism in the past 20 years has, in large part, been based on undocumented labor. Utah is far from the exception.
Can you imagine what would happen if all of the undocumented labor and production left Utah for other states with more supportive legislation? What would happen to our food processing plants, meat packing companies, livestock, crop production, construction industries, restaurants and hotel industries? It would be safe to say that we could expect an economic downturn much greater than $2 billion a year.
So, while some go to considerable effort to make life uncomfortable for Utah's undocumented population, officials from the State's Department of Community and Economic Development make every effort to calm their fears. And now you can see why.
Despite all the rhetoric of the xenophobic right, more rational economists, business owners, and government officials have learned what Hispanics have known for a long time. Both the United States and Utah need the undocumented, but you sure couldn't tell that by the rhetoric, or by our effort to retain them.
The Outdoor Retailers, whose meetings pump $32 million (that's million with an "M") into Utah's economy get a new Salt Palace expansion to encourage them to stay; the undocumented Hispanics, who add approximately $2 billion (that's billion with a "B") a year to Utah's purchasing economy alone get a driving "privilege card" and an encouragement not to leave. Welcome to Utah!
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Lee Martinez is president of Latino Survey & Research, a company that does polling in Salt Lake City's Latino community, and is a former director of community development for Salt Lake City.
