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SALT LAKE CITY -- The debate in the Utah Legislature over an enforcement-only approach to immigration reform is strikingly similar to the debate taking place in another state more than a thousand miles away, with an interesting exception.
Both Utah and Indiana appear to be on parallel tracks when it comes to an Arizona-style enforcement law. The Indiana state assembly is considering a law very similar to the one proposed here by Representative Steven Sandstrom, R-Orem.
But while the arguments in favor of such a law are virtually identical in both states, the opposition to the bill in Indiana has taken on a different tone - the kind you might expect from the practical-thinking people known to inhabit the Midwest in general, and the Hoosier state in particular.
In Indiana, among the loudest voices in the debate are the pragmatists, mostly business and economic interests, who worry lawmakers are playing with dynamite. From farms and factories alike, they fear the impact on reputation, and on revenue.
The Chairman and CEO of one of Indiana's largest employers, Cummins - the industrial equipment giant - warns passage of the law will send an inhospitable message that will make it harder for his company to attract and retain a skilled workforce, and compete in an international economy.
CEO Tim Solso wrote the bill would "create needless hardship for an entire segment of the population with no benefit to the state or its residents."
Others, including the state's powerful Farm Bureau and its statewide Chamber of Commerce, worry about the impact on revenue, pointing to studies that show a half-a-billion dollar hit to the Arizona economy in the aftermath of the law's passage.
Community leaders recently signed the Indiana Compact, virtually identical to the Utah Compact, calling for a sensitive and sensible approach to the issue.
But supporters of the bill say it sends a needed message to Washington that something needs to be done to address a real problem. "The message this sends is that we are a nation of laws," said Sen. Brent Waltz, a Republican.
As of Friday, the Indiana Senate Appropriations Committee advanced the bill after a significant amendment.
The amendment would require police to use a higher standard of "probable cause" before they could demand proof of citizenship.
E-mail: cpsarras@ksl.com
