Coalition Questions Shurtleff’s Refusal to Enforce Law, Recent Appeal to LDS Church & “Guest Worker” Program Negotiations As Failure to Execute Duties of Attorney General
Salt Lake City —July 7, 2010—Leaders of the Utah Coalition on Illegal Immigration believe Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff may be failing in his duties to his office. These groups cite Shurtleff’s refusal to enforce existing immigration laws, his attempt to use his position to influence law-abiding church policy thereby thwarting First Amendment rights, and his attempt to negotiate a Mexican state “guest worker” program as reasons to seriously question his ability to uphold his responsibility as Utah’s attorney general.
With mounting pressure on taxpayer-subsidized entitlement programs and the Utah workforce, the coalition requests Attorney General Mark Shurtleff not only enforce the laws, but also support Arizona in defending its law against a federal court challenge. The coalition encourages Utah’s lawmakers to join the growing movement toward state-enforcement of immigration law, which the federal government has neglected for so long.
“Shurtleff’s efforts to enlist The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to support individuals committing work-related felonies go beyond the Attorney General’s responsibilities,” said Ronald Mortensen, coalition spokesman and co-founder of CitizensForTaxFairness.org. “Rather than defending illegal immigrants, the Attorney General must support Arizona’s efforts to defend itself just as enthusiastically as he has supported other states in their fight for gun rights and in their opposition to federal health care reform legislation.”
By appealing to LDS officials, Shurtleff joined with the demands of illegal immigrant activists such as Proyecto Latino de Utah’s Tony Yapias. Recently, Yapias orchestrated a letter-writing campaign pressuring LDS leaders to oppose illegal immigration legislation, which directly rebuffs the LDS church’s time-honored principle of “obeying, honoring and sustaining the law.” Shurtleff’s opposition to an Arizona-type law also lends support to the goals of other militant groups such as the separatist Brown Berets and anarchist Revolutionary Students Union.
According to Congressional Budget Office report, The Impact of Unauthorized
Immigrants on the Budgets of State and Local Governments, 75 percent of illegal immigrants are committing felonies including fraud, perjury, and tax evasion. NumbersUSA reports that over 40 percent of guest workers intentionally overstay their visas and then become part of the illegal immigrant landscape. “If the Federal government won’t do its job, then we must work through state legislation,” stated Cherilyn Eagar, the former U.S. Senate candidate honored as “Immigration Reform Candidate” by national immigration policy organization NumbersUSA. “Attorney General Shurtleff and Utah’s Sutherland Institute want to implement a guest worker amnesty-style program for Utah’s 100,000 illegal immigrants. By doing so, they encourage and condone these crimes. Shurtleff needs to attend to his duties and should not be wrongfully coercing the LDS church.”
Coalition leaders agree that illegal immigration is not a matter of race, profiling or separatism. The coalition believes compassion is an individual choice, not a public mandate. Those who circumvent the legal process jeopardize society on many levels including taking American citizens’ jobs, using taxpayer-funded services, engaging in illegal activities and undermining national security. “The rule of law is fundamental to freedom and religious liberty. Our immigration laws require responsibility and accountability,” said Utah Eagle Forum President Gayle Ruzicka. “We welcome those who come here legally and who benefit American society. Compassion is an admirable trait, but our first priority is compassion for American citizens who are forced to bear the serious consequences and costs resulting from people who choose to ignore and break the law.”
Coalition members include Ronald Mortensen, coalition spokesman and co-founder of Citizens for Tax Fairness.org; Robert Wren, chairman of UFIRE; Jim Flohr, vice chairman, Citizens Council on Illegal Immigration of Washington County; Eli Cawley, Utah Minutemen Project; Gayle Ruzicka, president, Utah Eagle Forum; and Cherilyn Eagar, former U.S. Senate candidate and Utah’s Common Sense Conservative.
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