Rep. Stephen Sandstrom represents the city of Orem, Utah in the Utah State Legislature. Unlike the Mormon Church and the Utah media, Sandstrom can connect the dots between illegal aliens and other crimes (like the one above) committed against the people of Utah.
"Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, told the Deseret News Monday he's started work on drafting a bill for the 2011 Utah legislative session that uses the Arizona statute as a model — a move he said is necessary to stanch the flow of illegal immigrants into the Beehive State.
"It is imperative that we pass similar legislation here in Utah," Sandstrom said. "In the past, when we've seen tougher legislation in Arizona … a lot of illegal immigrants just move here." (Source)
Simply stated, Sandstrom wants local law enforcement to arrest and detain those individuals that cannot provide proof of U.S. citizenship when stopped and questioned for a suspected crime.
"If you get pulled over for driving intoxicated, what's the first thing the officer asks for?" Sandstrom said. "Your ID, right? This is the same thing, the same work police officers are already doing … asking for documentation that relates to probable cause." (Ibid)
New York City law enforcement began a program that targeted minor offenders under the belief that these individuals are the most likely to commit major crimes. "New York City Police Department Commissioner Bill Bratton, adopted an aggressive enforcement-deterrent strategy based on James Q. Wilson's "Broken Windows" approach. This involved crackdowns on relatively minor offenses such as graffiti, turnstile jumping, cannabis possession, and aggressive "squeegeemen", on the theory that this would send a message that order would be maintained." (Source)
If Utah's Illegal Immigrants faced the risk of deportation for the commission of even a minor crime, it would prove to be a major deterrant and could have a huge impact on major crimes like gang activity, narcotics trafficking, etc. The theory being that those who disobey the big laws are more likely to disobey the small ones as well. In other words, Sandstrom's proposal would have a huge impact on crimes committed by Illegal Immigrants.
Which is why the Mormon Church's opposition to this common-sense initiative defies all logic. The Mormon owned media claims:
"SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah lawmaker who's sponsoring a controversial bill that would require officers to detain people they suspect are illegal immigrants is coming to the defense of the fiscal note attached to the bill.
The Legislative Fiscal Analysts Office says HB70 could cost local governments between $5.3 million and $11.3 million to enforce... Analysts say the costs associated with the bill come from the amount of time it would take officers to investigate immigration status. Critics, including some in police agencies, worry about what it will cost in hours away from other law enforcement duties." (Source)
What the Mormon-owned media failed to address was the costs associated with permitting Illegal Aliens to run amock in the Beehive State:
"conservative estimates in 2010 put Utah's state and local cost expenditures on illegal immigrants at $453 million, according to an article by the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Conversely, estimates put the property, sales and income taxes collected from illegal immigrants in Utah at $31.1 million. There is certainly a massive cost incurred by the Utah taxpayers in regards to supporting illegal immigrants within the state." (Source)
Illegal Aliens benefit large Mormon employers like the Marriott Corporation, not the people of Utah. Critics that argue that the Mormon Church is too heavily influenced by its larger donors will undoubtedly cite its opposition to Sandstrom's law as a case in point. In the end, it really boils down to obeying and sustaining the laws of the land, something the Church teaches and requires of its general membership.
Currently, the law of the land states that no one should be in this country illegally.
