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Utah County Hispanic Democratic Committee takes stand for moral immigration policy |
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 The Utah County Hispanic Democratic Committee is a group of concerned Utah County residents who recognize that the immigration debate has taken a radical and dangerous turn where civility, truth, and compassion have been replaced by fear, misinformation, and persecution. Unfortunately, much of this negative rhetoric emanates from our very own county, resulting in legislation proposals that ultimately are aimed at separating families and targeting individuals based on their ethnic background. All this is done without understanding of the complex roots of immigration.
Today, the Utah County Hispanic Democratic Committee is categorically standing against this approach that is neither moral, nor respects federal jurisdiction over immigration. We invite Utah County legislators to reconsider radical positions on the topic and ask Utah County residents to continue to show charity to their neighbors, while simultaneously demanding that Congress aggressively pursues much needed comprehensive immigration reform.
The Utah County Hispanic Democratic Committee will actively participate in the immigration debate in the following ways:
- Educate the public by promoting truth and correcting misinformation perpetuated by some Utah County legislators regarding Hispanics and immigration.
- Create a voter registration campaign for qualified Hispanic US citizens, along with any other qualified citizen that would like to participate in a direct way in our democracy by exercising their right to vote.
- Inform qualified U.S. Residents (permanent residence cardholders) of the options offered by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) to apply for citizenship thus enabling them to vote.
- Fundraise among Hispanic businesses, Utah County residents, and the public in general to support Democratic candidates who promote civility and true American values.
- Volunteer on political campaigns for those Democratic candidates challenging incumbents that promote toxic rhetoric against Hispanics, or have acted in the past to separate families or otherwise target this group.
We strongly condemn activities such as identity theft and other felonies. Furthermore, this committee is not intended to be a reactionary or radical group. Our goal is to bring together concerned voices that understand that a local-enforcement only approach is far from ideal, and that federal comprehensive immigration reform is necessary.
We would like to recognize the labor of countless organizations such as the Catholic Church, the Sutherland Institute, the Latin American Chamber of Commerce of Utah, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, as well as Democratic legislators, volunteers, and all signers of the Utah Compact that have worked tirelessly to steer the emotionally charged immigration debate back to respectful and civil discourse, and ultimately aimed at treating each other as children of God.
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