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Salt Lake City, UT


When does the GOP every listen to Utah?


'More than 100 people gathered near the steps leading up to the House chamber to demand a veto from Gov. Gary Herbert as lawmakers who passed an amended HB477 Monday delaying its effective date until July 1 looked down from the corridors above.
But an 8 p.m. news release from the governor's office said he signed the bill along with 18 other measures that have passed the 2011 Legislature.'

They know that Utah will keep voting Republican...

No matter what. They. Do.

SLC, Utah

@albu1595 12:54 p.m.: "Here's the problem....who gets to decide who stays and who goes?"

Here's the answer... all will get to stay.

Further, most will stay in the shadows not wanting to pay the $2,500.

And even further, those who come here on work visas will forget to go home. That's why we have 15 million illegals in this country now.

Salt Lake City, UT

It's a Dan Jones / KSL commissioned poll...let's just leave it at that.

West Valley, UT

Note that the poll has a discrepancy of +/-5%. -5% puts approval right back at 56%... which is where it was last time they did a poll.

What does this all mean?

In reality the state is split pretty much 50/50 on whether we should enforce the "law of the land" or find ways to circumvent it.

All this really does is show the power of the Latino Lobby. Politicians are afraid of losing the Latino vote, so they pass laws that favor illegal immigrants.

Perhaps all the pot smokers should take a page from this and get their act together. If the Latinos can successfully force the legislature to go against immigration laws there may be hope for Medical Marijuana in this state yet.

Thoughtful Voter
Spanish Fork, UT

I'm a State delegate and I don't trust the dynamics of polling to work out very well on this question. I've talked to many delegates who will vote on the GOP resolution encouraging repeal who change their minds daily (or even hourly, heh) on HB116.

Just like the county convention resolution votes showed, there are pockets of support and hate for 116 all over the state and it almost matters what day you query people even in those pockets.

At the very least people are starting to become aware of the issues, real questions, and possible solutions and improvements.

I'm voting against the repeal resolution and *for* keeping HB116. I agree with the LDS Church's five statements on immigration this year. I think the reasons they give for supporting this years legislation are sound and compelling -- regardless of a person's religious affiliation. (I happened to have already come to those conclusions, though, so I didn't face the difficult dissonance and reconsidering that many of my LDS colleagues now face as they find themselves in opposition to an official statement of their Church.)

I'm glad they made a statement though.

Murray, Ut

Obvious attempt to sway votes last minute.

Utah has no legal right to circumvent immigration and labor laws. You can't take jobs from citizens and give them to second class workers. We already have visa programs for that.

Santa Clara, UT

ksl poll a few days ago was 74% against. Now this new poll says otherwise. I smell a rat!!!


Pass a law that demands E-verify of all business, and will pull the license of repeat offenders (constitutional) and require business to use the already available federal visas. It accomplishes the same thing, it fits the LDS statement and is constitutional, and it will not require the state of Utah to create an entirely new department of government, at the expense of Utah's taxpayers.

When Arizona tried to pass the enforcement bill, people were complaining it was unconstitutional. Now those same people are promoting this unconstitutional bill? What is wrong here? Are we planning on succeeding from the Union?

Salt Lake City, UT

Less than an hour ago on Rod Arquette's radio show (about 5:20pm, today), a caller called in who said he had been phoned by the Dan Jones company to be polled for this very poll.


Q. (level of education)
A. graduate degree

Q. Do you read the newspaper?
A. No, I don't like the paper.

Q. Do you listen to the radio?
A. Yes.

At that, this respondent was DISQUALIFIED.

And no wonder: talk radio resonates with the values of more Americans than does today's traditional media.

What a monumental shame, this poll is. Really.

Clearfield, UT

Can anyone show me where illegals are entitled to free medical care or other gov't benefits. Who is spreading these lies? The truth is they are not. The only exception I know of is pregant women can get medical care. Rep. Sandstrom said it all when he mentioned they threaten our culture. That only means one thing to me, it is about race. Look at where those here illegally are working. Farm labor, service sector jobs, meat packing plants. The far right is loosing the battle and they know it. When high leadership in the LDS church challenge your rhetoric you ought to re-consider your position. It is not about supporting illegal immigration. It is about understanding how desperate the situation is in Mexico. If they had the opportunity to be legal they wouldn't need to steal identities or hide in the shadows. Compassion will always prevail over hate and ignorance.


Mexico has the 14th best economy in the world, and less unemployment than we have. They also have food programs for the poor. It's not that difficult to come here legally, my family members did. The US lets in over a million a year, not counting work visas. Of course it's possible, but you need to wait in line like the rest of the world.

Families with birthright children qualify for food stamps, medicaid and financial help for all children. WIC, baby your baby, day care, etc can all be accessed by those here illegally.

Polls that "qualify" people are not honest.

Let's stop telling the citizens that are being hurt by these actions to be compassionate, and tell it to those breaking our laws.

Viva la Migra
American Fork, UT

I read through part of the bill and saw that the $2,500 fine only applies to illegal aliens who crossed illegally. Those who entered under a Visa and overstayed (about half the illegals) only have to pay $1,000. I wonder how many illegals might submit forged paperwork showing an expired Visa in order to save money?

It would actually cost an employer less to hire an illegal alien "guest worker" over a legal worker because the illegals aren't subject to Utah Unemployment Insurance and must provide their own health insurance saving the employer the cost of UI insurance/Health care.

There is also a provision which directs businesses to collect Federal income tax for these "guest workers" who won't have social security numbers, but submit it to the State of Utah into a restricted account instead of the Federal government.

I'm not sure how many employers would want to submit their quarterly or year-end IRS tax reports showing income paid, but not a full amount of withholding being deposited to the government. This would probably lead employers to pay them off the books to avoid IRS suspicion.

Spanish Fork, UT

anti-liar, as manipulative as most polls are, I'm gonna have to say that I think your "liar-meter" failed you today. People say all sorts of stupid things to get on talk radio. If what the Arquette caller claimed was even remotely true then there would be an easy-to-find-and-follow paper trail to prove it. The callers had to follow a script. I guarantee you that if what the caller claimed was true, you'd have a major major Utah story that would probably find national legs. Beck, Hannity, all the major networks -- people love a story that outrageous -- it confirms all their fears about polling, the media, etc. I've seen some dishonest and bad polling, but that would take the cake -- please somebody track this down and check, I guess.


I've had a poll terminated by Dan Jones before when I didn't answer correctly. Maybe it was relevant, maybe not.

I would bet they (workers) have to sign non disclosure, paper trails die there.

I do know that the openness of some towards allowing illegal immigrants to come here is dishonest and immoral. We are being told to be compassionate towards those already here, but nothing is being done to stop those still encouraging others to break our laws.

It's a scam to manipulate America's labor market.

Where's Stockton ???
Bowling Green, OH

CHS 85 Absolutely not...it's quite obvious that the poll isn't getting around to the right people...the responses to this blog have a better repesentation of the opinions of people from around the state and in the Metro area. Look at all the number stars in opposition stars and try and tell yourself otherwise.

Where's Stockton ???
Bowling Green, OH

When a drug dealer who is a convicted felon and twice deported from this country can calmly sit in a court room with a perverse sense of entitlement and tell the court that he shot a female deputy sherriff who leaves behind a family that still grieves her loss... and he makes no bones that he did it with an illegally obtained AK 47 assault rifle simply because he felt he was being racially profiled... then there is obviously something wrong with our current immigration laws. They failed people...and they failed miserably. If the federal government can't handle it then the State has to... and they have to do it responsibly. This current piece of legislation is in no shape or form meeting the necessary mandate to protect the legal citizens of this state.

Everyone in the state knows the story behind all of this as well as the additional tragic aftermath of the story...with her brother. Utah along with New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, California, Nevada. and Colorado sit at the apexes, and crosroads of the most dangerous Drug trafficing routes in the world. People... we aren't even close to any type of prevention of...or protection from.

Kaysville, UT

If the guest worker program would actually help the economy then every neighborhood, city and state would want a guest worker program. The truth is the cities that are going broke in California have a high number of foreign nationals. They do not pay into the system as much as they take out. Davis school district wants to raise taxes for the fourth time in five years. When ask why the answer is they have 900 new students whose parents most of whom are foreign nationasl who do not put enough into the system to educate their own children. It guest worker programs only add money to the pockets of the greedy businesses.

Saint George, UT

Interesting conflict between the KSL and DJones polls.
Thank heavens the delegates took care of business at the Republican convention.

I'm sure it is part of the job description of enforcers to be civil while they return illegal people to their countries.

I'm civil to people I know of every color and I think most people are.

In my opinion, the people who I see as being the least civil are those advocated for the rights of illegal people. The fact a person is not willing to abide by laws automatically says "not civil" to me. It is civil disobedience and then they get citizens saying people who don't agree with them aren't kind or civil. Where is the KINDNESS AND CIVILITY IN staying in someone else's country ILLEGALLY?

Petaluma, CA

keep it simple. put people in jail who hire illegals. End the sham.
If you become a felon when you hire an illegal, all the illegals will leave the USA.

PS. 9% unemployment is not related to the 10 million illegals here, right?
What about the needs of those Americans who are already here?
Too impractical for the hiring managers, right?

Thoughtful Voter
Spanish Fork, UT

@"Voice 12:14am" This country is not your property. The hypocritical sense of entitlement of those lucky enough to be born here -- completely forgetting that 99% of our ancestors did not face the crazy, racist, unevenly enforced and often contradictory, relatively new, and continually changing 'immigration regulations' that you seems to value over any other law or moral aspect of this question.

Finally, the delegates at the State GOP delegation sent a fascinating message -- even with all the money poured into the debate by Kirkham, Morales, etc. -- even with all the videos produced full of false claims, pamphlets twisting issues, and the sea of blue t-shirts alleging that only a repeal of HB116 would be in alignment with the US Constitution -- even with all that -- the toothless repeal resolution was split almost exactly 50/50 and barely passed.

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