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SALT LAKE CITY -- As Utah Latino community leaders are watching the activity on proposed immigration bills carefully, some of their community members are preparing to take drastic measures over fears of what will happen once an immigration bill is passed.
Saraih Frost, with the United for Social Justice organization, says the people she's talked to don't know the impact of the proposed immigration bills and they're scared of what will happen if they stay in Utah.
"I'm very afraid, but I'm also very hopeful that (legislators) will not pass laws like the one from [Rep. Steven] Sandstrom or the one that would repeal in state tuition, and others," Frost said.
She says she's encouraged by what happened in Arizona when the most controversial parts of the state's Senate Bill 1070 did not pass.
"Utah's a very unique state, where people are very in touch with their spiritual and humane side," Frost said.
Frost thinks the community meetings being held to educate people are effective and promote education and hope that a humane immigration bill will be passed.
Meanwhile, other community activists say people don't fully understand some of these proposed immigration bills. They say at least one of the bills gives illegal immigrants false hopes and only incites fear.
"If you think about it, people will have to move, will have to find another job," said Samuel Rangel, outreach coordinator for United for Social Justice. "You're talking about whole families taking drastic actions and losing contact with a lot of people they love."
Despite the fears many families are facing, the community meetings have been encouraging.
"We've seen a lot of people that have been empowered and encouraged to actually take action," Rangel said.
However, Rangel also sees how many Latino families who would be impacted by the proposed bills are misunderstanding some of them and feel that they are safe.
"Nobody definitely wants to see Sandstrom's bill (House Bill 70) pass, no one," Rangel said. "As as far as Robles's bill (Senate Bill 41), there's just a misconception that they'll be able to get work permits."
"Once we explain to them that they'll need a federal waiver," Rangle continued, "then there's this feeling of disappointment."
In the meantime, Rangel says his organization is preparing a way to stop the proposed bills from passing. For instance, mass movements of people as a type of economic impact boycott.
"If you think about it, it's a number of people who have purchasing power," Rangel said. "If you can get all of these numbers to actually come together in one goal to buy or not buy here and there, you're going to make an impact and businesses are going to be talking."
Rangel says his group is taking steps to organize and mobilize people to make this mass exodus happen if Utah legislators pass an immigration bill that separates families.
E-mail: niyamba@ksl.com
