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September 27, 2012
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Ed Walz
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The bipartisan children’s advocacy organization First Focus today released a new paper by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, which outlines the importance of using a family-and kids-friendly approach in immigration policy decisions.
“Mark Shurtleff gets it,” said First Focus President Bruce Lesley. “He gets that the purpose of law enforcement is to protect families, not tear them apart. He gets that investing in all our children is critical to our nation’s future. And he gets that we all lose when politicians demonize immigrants to score a quick political win.”
The paper focuses on the “Utah Compact,” which Shurtleff helped to author in partnership with a bipartisan coalition of business, political, academic, and civic leaders in one of the nation’s most politically conservative states. The Utah Compact measures immigration policy proposals against five principles: (1) that the responsibility for protecting America’s borders rests with federal government; (2) that local law enforcement resources should be focused on criminal activities; (3) that policy should not unnecessarily separate families and should support all children; (4) that policy should recognize immigrants’ contributions to the state’s economy; and (5) that the state should always be a free society that welcomes people of good will.
“The Utah Compact reflects mainstream, pragmatic conservatism by being pro law enforcement, pro business and pro families. Congress needs to stop the political bickering and pass comprehensive immigration reform and let the states focus on stopping crime and strengthening families,” said Attorney General Shurtleff.
Against this standard, Shurtleff favorably evaluates the federal Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, which was originally introduced by Utah Senator Orrin Hatch (R). He also expresses support for the Obama Administration’s “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” (DACA) policy, which provides temporary relief from deportation and the opportunity to obtain work authorization to some children and young adults meeting qualifications similar to those applicable under the DREAM Act.
“We have thousands of young people who did not have a choice to live in this country but now they are here and they want to learn, serve and help make our country a better place. The DREAM Act would strengthen our economy by providing opportunities, reducing crime and helping businesses prosper,” said Shurtleff.
Shurtleff also rejects punitive state laws, such as those adopted by Arizona and Alabama, intended to make the lives of immigrant families so difficult they would have no choice but to leave the country. Instead, he urges policymakers to consider effective models to accelerate the integration of immigrant children into their communities, such as Utah’s “Latinos in Action” initiative, which in a state where 26 percent of Latino students drop out of high school, has helped actively-participating students to achieve a 100-percent graduation rate.
First Focus’s partner organization, the First Focus Campaign for Children, has endorsed the DREAM Act and urged the Obama Administration to adopt family-friendly immigration enforcement reforms consistent with the principles of the Utah Compact.
“Utah’s experience shows that we can make it work. All we need now is the political will in Washington to do it,” said Lesley.
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