Deseret News | Reader comments: Immigrants avoid jail

Reader comments
Readers' forum: Letters: Immigrants avoid jail

Thank you | 7:29 a.m. July 3, 2009

Thank you Laurie for pointing out that illegal arrests are the true indication of their crime rate, not the fact that they are not proscecuted and incarcerated.

CJ | 8:23 a.m. July 3, 2009

You must realize Laurie that everyone who stands to benefit from illegal immigration regularly distorts its horrendous impact on the country to suit their own purposes. It starts at the top with the three stooges ( Reid, Pelosi, and Obama) and works its way down to Utah with our own stooges ( Hatch, Bennett, and Hunstman). Hispandering is more important to all of them than enforcing the law. They are willing to spend any amount of money and endure any amount of crime and American unemployment if they get a few votes out of it.

Anonymous | 8:27 a.m. July 3, 2009

Can we say 'conjecture'?

Comments continue below

Gimme a break | 9:11 a.m. July 3, 2009

It was with great interest that I noted in yesterday's TV broadcast, Mr Yaipas threatening to press charges against police officers who try to enforce the law. Why such brazen stateents? Why not, when you have the spineless Chief of Police of SLC say he will not enforce the law. SLC and Utah deserve better.

jackhp | 9:45 a.m. July 3, 2009

re: gimme

Mr Yapias did threaten to press charges against officers who try to enforce the law. He threatened to file lawsuits against officers who discriminate based on perceived race as to whom they will apply their new found powers.

jackhp | 10:00 a.m. July 3, 2009

sorry, should be "didn't" in my previous comment.

another thank you | 10:21 a.m. July 3, 2009

I would add my thanks to Laurie for speaking for many of us and exposing the Sutherland Institute's devious distortion of the facts. It is well known that "Catch and Release" is the de facto standard practice of law enforcement when it comes to illegal aliens, that the per capita population of illegal aliens in the prisons is not at all an accurate reflection of the actual number arrests being made.

I would only add though that nor does the number of arrests of illegal aliens accurately indicate their actual crime rate (the real criterion) - since only a small percentage of illegal aliens are ever arrested for their crimes, thanks to our corrupt, "look the other way" government when it comes to the illegal alien invasion!

Lou | 11:14 a.m. July 3, 2009

Please note that our Salt Lake Police Chief is kept in office by our traitor Mayor, Becker. Remember this when you vote for our new Mayor.

make it a referendum | 2:04 p.m. July 3, 2009

if the salt lake police chief won't enforce sb81 vote against the bond to build him a new building. and i think anyone running for governor should address whether they'll force the uhp to enforce it since they have also said they "opted out".

Yet another thank you | 2:14 p.m. July 3, 2009

I too appreciate this thoughtful article.

Re: make it a referendum | 3:10 p.m. July 3, 2009

Good call!

Stewart | 4:08 p.m. July 3, 2009

This letter is right on. During the 2009 Utah Legislative Session, the Sutherland Institute along with the other major cheap labor lobbying group in Utah, The SL Chamber of Commerce, were the main lobbying force wanting to enable illegal immigration into Utah. The ethnic and religious groups weren't even a close second.

These two groups were able to get SCR-1 passed, a resolution asking the federal government to allow Utah to create its own "special guest worker program." This appears to have been given to those representing the cheap labor employers to smooth over their frustrations of not being able to weaken SB-81 due to the fierce public opposition. Much of this opposition was clearly evident at the Illegal Immigration Interim Committee Hearings held around the state.

SB-81 is weak and needs to require all employers to E-Verify employees. In addition it needs an enforcement mechanism, such as taking away their business license as they do in Arizona. They also need to disallow employers from deducting from state income taxes those wages paid to someone without a valid SSN.

Its not just the undocumented | 4:57 p.m. July 3, 2009

"Judges often take a "hands off" approach to illegals who are arrested."

Judges let many people avoid jail time, not only the undocumented. Pleas in obeyance, ankle braceletts, probation, these go to all kinds of people, not just the undocumented.

So what else is new?

Re: Its not just the undocumente | 5:38 p.m. July 3, 2009

"So what else is new?"

What's new is that while pleas in abeyance, ankle bracelets, and probation go to all kinds of people, only illegal aliens from Mexico are given the explicit promise by local law enforcement (namely the Salt Lake Police and the UHP) that it is going to refuse to enforce the law as it applies to them.

THAT'S what's new.

Add your comment

Comments are monitored. Any comments found to be abusive, offensive, off-topic, misrepresentative, more than 200 words or containing URLs will not be posted.

Words Remaining

E-mail address: For internal use only. We may want to contact you to publish your comment (not your e-mail address) in the newspaper or for a separate story idea.