Change Takes Time

American Rattlesnake ^ | February 16, 2011 | Gerard Perry

[OddLane]

For those of you who’ve followed our past coverage of Rep. Stephen Sandstrom’s efforts at curbing illegal immigration in his home state of Utah, you’ll be pleased to know that his bill, HB-70, has cleared an important legislative hurdle. Its passage by the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Standing Committee by no means ensures its eventual enactment by the legislature, but it does send a signal that a number of leaders within the Utah House of Representatives feel that this issue is compelling enough to warrant debate on the floor.

This proves yet again that the tireless efforts by open borders demagogues to thwart the will of the American people-including threats of bodily harm- have not deterred those in other parts of the country, especially in border states, who are looking for real solutions to the plague of illegal immigration. However, that does not mean that the political obstacles to real immigration enforcement and reform have become any less daunting. To the contrary, the legislative support Rep. Sandstrom’s bill has generated thus far is probably going to lead to a corresponding increase in activity from the open borders factions operating within the state of Utah.

They have already devised an alternative to the enforcement-driven policies embraced by parts of the state legislature called the Utah Compact, whose chief objectives seem to be the suppression of anti-illegal alien speech, which is protected by the 1st Amendment, and the obstruction of constructive immigration bills such as those offered by Rep. Sandstrom and his colleague in the Utah House of Representatives, Chris Herrod.