John Curtis brought the Utah Compact on Immigration to Congress. MAGA called it a betrayal

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Sen. John Curtis hit a nerve on Monday with the introduction of a bipartisan bill seeking major reforms to one of the most sensitive issues in American politics: the legal immigration system.

His proposal to create a state-led migrant visa program prompted objections by a swarm of personalities on the political right, from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet.

Curtis framed the bill, which was first reported by the Deseret News, as a way to address workforce concerns by allowing states to customize the flow of temporary migrant workers to meet their unique needs.

But segments of the Republican base described the legislation as a betrayal of America First ideology, in a torrent of thousands of comments made in reply to the announcement from Curtis' official X account.

By Tuesday afternoon, Curtis' post had been viewed 1.6 million times, quickly forming the center of a conversation around whether the GOP should expand legal pathways for migrants amid a historic immigration crackdown.

While Curtis argued that with the border secure, Congress should pursue policies that benefit businesses by bridging labor shortages, those who oppose his legislation say they believe immigration undercuts U.S. citizens.

The Utah Federation of College Republicans formally reached out to Curtis to schedule a meeting during his August recess to discuss its opposition to the bill, focused on the fear it will replace U.S. workers.

"If you have a generation that's completely displaced out of the workplace, you can't just endlessly have immigrants from across the world come in," College Republicans Chairman Riley Beesley told the Deseret News.

Increasingly, Gen Z conservatives see immigration as a threat to entry-level jobs, an incentive for companies to keep wages low and an added pressure on the expensive cost of housing in Utah, according to Beesley.

The bill, which Curtis introduced with Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, would let states manage their own guest-worker initiatives based on local labor demands, subject to approval by the Department of Homeland Security.

Related:

Utah Sen. John Curtis proposes state-led migrant worker pilot program

Utah Sen. John Curtis announced the introduction of a bill on Monday that would create a voluntary state-sponsored visa program.

It would form a new nonimmigrant classification for individuals — and their spouses and minor children — who will work and invest in America. States would be required to enforce a three-year, renewable time limit.

The total number of visas would be limited to 5,000 per year, plus a share of a 245,000-visa pool based on state population. The bill would require a process to investigate complaints of U.S. workers being displaced.

Business community supports bill

Legislation like this is long overdue, according to Salt Lake Chamber CEO Derek Miller, to fix America's "upside down and backwards" immigration system that for decades has let bad actors in and kept good actors out.

Businesses share the concern that immigration could hurt career opportunities for young Utahns in some industries, Miller told the Deseret News. But Curtis' bill lets legislators find the right balance with tailored policies, he said.

"We can say that we need more people here legally to work, and we can say priority ought to be given to U.S. citizens; these don't have to be mutually exclusive," Miller said. "We need to avoid having a one-size-fits-all program."

The bill does more than establish a state-sponsored work visa. It would also offer legal status to visa holders who have resided in the country illegally for at least 10 years if they undergo a background check and pay $1,000.

This provision has led conservative commentators to label the bill as an attempt at giving amnesty to immigrants in the country illegally, who the commentators say should be removed from the U.S. under President Donald Trump's deportation campaign.

"That's a reward and an incentive that I call amnesty; those people should be deported," Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz told the Deseret News. "There's a smart way to do this, and this is not it. It prioritizes all the wrong things."

Chaffetz, who entered office in 2009 to represent Utah's 3rd Congressional District on a platform of immigration restriction, pointed out the country already grants legal status to roughly 1 million immigrants annually.

While in Congress, Chaffetz opposed the Utah Legislature's request to manage its own work visa program as part of the 2011 Utah Compact on Immigration that balanced immigration enforcement with economic growth.

Now the proposal has finally made its way to Washington, D.C., through Curtis' bill.

The intent of Curtis' bill reflects Utah's 15-year-old effort to request a federal waiver — which never materialized — to implement a guest-worker program, according to its sponsor, former state Sen. Stuart Reid.

Prior to its passage, the bill sparked some of the most heated arguments in state politics, Reid told the Deseret News. And, if the reaction to Curtis' bill is any indication, it has since become even more polarizing.

"If anything, it's gotten worse, not better," Reid said. "It's a litmus test now for Republicans. And it's unfortunate because it doesn't allow Congress to come to sensible policies when it involves immigration."

Related topics