Utah Legislator Introduces Restrictive Immigration Enforcement Legislation

A conservative Utah state legislator has proposed a new restrictive immigration regulation similar to Arizona’s controversial immigration enforcement bill. The bill, introduced by State Rep. Stephen Sandstrom (R), had its first hearing this week and contains a number of provisions similar to those in the Arizona legislation that were blocked by a federal judge earlier this month.

Included in Sandstrom’s bill is the requirement that police, when stopping individuals for other violations, question people’s immigration status if they have reasonable suspicion that the person is in the U.S. illegally.

A group of Utah legislators had traveled to Arizona this summer to obtain guidance on how to draft such a law. Similar groups from Tennessee and Colorado have also recently traveled to Arizona for the same purpose.

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