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Illegal immigration continues to flummox Republicans as they try to reconcile tough law enforcement with business-friendly guest-worker programs while not alienating Latinos stung by sharp rhetoric from some in the party.
The issue was significant enough that the Republicans' State Central Committee made it a centerpiece of their meeting Saturday morning, inviting Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, Salt Lake Chamber Executive Vice President Robin Riggs and Utah Republican Hispanic Assembly State Chair Michael Clara to talk about the various angles of the immigration debate.
Sandstrom, R-Orem, said the issue has "reached the boiling point" and said it is why he is ready to introduce a bill into the Utah Legislature in January that is inspired by the Arizona law targeting illegal immigration.
"We welcome people, but as Utahns, we demand people follow the rule of law," Sandstrom said. "We are a country of immigrants, but illegal immigration is like a brick in the melting pot that won't melt."
But some within the party take issue with that, saying many come here to work, pay taxes and simply are trying to pave a better life for their families and assimilate into American culture.
Clara made a moral argument rooted in his faith as a member of the LDS Church and said he would have difficulty backing a bill like Sandstrom's.
"I apologize for not being able to fully support a bill that calls for the expulsion of a group of people," Clara said. "I support legislation that will allow them to stay and come out of the shadows."
Clara said he has participated in sacred church rituals — including baptisms — that involve undocumented immigrants, and he appealed to the almost 100 Republicans in the room to pay attention to the growing Latino population and their voting patterns.
Republicans must tread carefully so as to not alienate the Latino vote, said University of Utah associate professor of political science Dan Levin, who was not at the meeting but was contacted for his perspective. Levin said up until the '60s, blacks were a reliable Republican vote. But Barry Goldwater's campaign for president that was highly critical of the Civil Rights Act was a political game-changer and turned blacks into a largely automatic vote for Democrats.
"This is one of those moments where the Latino vote is becoming more cohesive, and which way it decides to go is up in the air," Levin said. "Economically, they are more in tune with the Democrats, but culturally and in terms of social attitudes, they are more likely to be attracted to the Republicans. So there is really two paths here."
Riggs said the party must lead the way in operating a workable guest worker program, calling the current worker visa program "completely screwed up." He urged the party to forge ahead with "a balanced immigration policy" that gets businesses the workers they need to fill jobs that remain vacant due to bureaucratic red tape.
And Enid Mickelsen, Utah's representative on the Republican National Committee, said Democrats have managed to paint the GOP as the party that "covers for big business" and urged tougher penalties against companies that knowingly hire undocumented immigrants for cheap wages.
"That needs to be a part of our approach," she said. "And I didn't hear much about that."