The Real Utah Compact:

Given the fact that the Utah Compact is being sold as a model for other states to mimic, a closer look at the document itself is warranted.  One goal of this "create a compact" operation seems to be to stir up support for an "America's Compact."  Absent such a nation-wide document, a secondary approach seems to be in play that consists of getting enough state compacts going to create a critical mass of pressure on Congress to pass "comprehensive immigration reform." 

Below, I have rewritten the Utah Compact in a different format to focus more clearly on its propositions.  The five "principles" it talks about seem more clearly understood as "areas to consider" and not as actual principles.  Certain principles are, however, outlined under each heading. 

The Utah Compact is a document which has been criticized for confusing the distinction between legal and illegal immigrants.  This blurring of distinction seems intentional.  For clarity, therefore, I have inserted "illegal immigrants" in those places in the text where warranted in order to make the distinction clear for the reader.  A few other alterations have been made for clarity as well, such as separating out some of the propositions into separate statements.

Prior to the rewrite, however, I have isolated those statements I have rewritten regarding illegal immigration from the text and listed them.  In this way, the meaning that the text seems to want us to understand, without explicitly saying so, is highlighted.   

The goal of the rewrite is to parody the Utah Compact for political discussion.  The motives of most of the signers of the Utah Compact are noble and reflect goodwill on their part.  I am not impugning their character or motives.  However, the motives of some involved in the process may not have been so noble.  It is hard to not conclude that creating a propaganda document to use in a new national amnesty campaign was one of the goals. 

Even though significant and convincing arguments could be made rebutting much of the Utah Compact (and many other principles and areas of consideration that should be included are not), the goal of the current article is merely to re-work the document for clarity.  I leave it to the reader to form his or her own conclusions about the motives and impacts on public policy that would flow from its limited set of concepts about illegal immigration.    

For comparison, the original text of the Utah Compact is available at:  http://utahcompact.com/

For a devastating critique of the Utah Compact, the series of articles by former Arizona State Senator Karen Johnson are recommended and available at:  http://newswithviews.com/Johnson/karenA.htm

The rewritten statements from the Utah Compact about illegal immigration:


THE UTAH COMPACT

A DECLARATION OF FIVE AREAS OF CONSIDERATION TO GUIDE UTAH'S ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION DISCUSSION

We urge state leaders to adopt reasonable policies addressing illegal immigrants in Utah.

Local law enforcement resources should focus on criminal activities by illegal immigrants.

Local law enforcement resources should not focus on civil violations of federal code by illegal immigrants.

We oppose policies that unnecessarily separate illegal immigrant families.

We champion policies that support illegal immigrant families and improve the health, education and well-being of all Utah children, including the children of illegal immigrants.

We acknowledge the economic role illegal immigrants play as workers and taxpayers.

Utah’s illegal immigration policies must reaffirm our global reputation as a welcoming and business-friendly state.

Illegal immigrants are integrated into communities across Utah.

We must adopt a humane approach to this reality about illegal immigration, reflecting our unique culture, history and spirit of inclusion.

The way we treat illegal immigrants will say more about us as a free society and less about our illegal immigrant neighbors.

Utah should always be a place that welcomes illegal immigrants of goodwill.

__________________________________________________________

The rewritten and reformatted Utah Compact:


THE UTAH COMPACT

A DECLARATION OF FIVE AREAS OF CONSIDERATION TO GUIDE UTAH'S ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION DISCUSSION

FEDERAL SOLUTIONS:

Immigration is a federal policy issue between the U.S. government and other countries. 

Immigration is not a policy issue between Utah and other countries.

We urge Utah’s congressional delegation, and others, to lead efforts to strengthen federal immigration laws.

We urge Utah’s congressional delegation, and others, to lead efforts to protect our national borders.

We urge state leaders to adopt reasonable policies addressing illegal immigrants in Utah.


LAW ENFORCEMENT:

We respect the rule of law.

We support law enforcement’s professional judgment and discretion.

Local law enforcement resources should focus on criminal activities by illegal immigrants.

Local law enforcement resources should not focus on civil violations of federal code by illegal immigrants.


FAMILIES:

Strong families are the foundation of successful communities.

We oppose policies that unnecessarily separate illegal immigrant families.

We champion policies that support illegal immigrant families and improve the health, education and well-being of all Utah children, including the children of illegal immigrants.


ECONOMY:

Utah is best served by a free-market philosophy that maximizes individual freedom and opportunity.

We acknowledge the economic role illegal immigrants play as workers and taxpayers.

Utah’s illegal immigration policies must reaffirm our global reputation as a welcoming and business-friendly state.


A FREE SOCIETY:

Illegal immigrants are integrated into communities across Utah.

We must adopt a humane approach to this reality about illegal immigration, reflecting our unique culture, history and spirit of inclusion.

The way we treat illegal immigrants will say more about us as a free society and less about our illegal immigrant neighbors.

Utah should always be a place that welcomes illegal immigrants of goodwill.

The Salt Lake Chamber and Civility:

The Chamber of Commerce called for civility in a recent ksl.com article.  Here's how the article put it:

"Besides honing Utah's approach to immigration, chamber leaders urged civility in public discourse."

(http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=18955834&title=sl-chamber-says-immigration-law-works-calls-for-civility)

The Chamber is making a call to civility in a general way - to apply to all public discourse.

However, the article is heavily focused on immigration and it is hard to not conclude that immigration is a special area of concern to the Chamber. 

Who can argue with the call to civility either in general or as applied to a specific area of concern?

Clearly there are strong emotions on all sides of this issue.  Without civility, it seems unlikely that much productive discussion or work will be accomplished.   

But, in calling for civility, we may wish to consider how civil some have been with whom the Chamber of Commerce finds kinship.

Is their call to civility a call to a principle that all sides should adhere to or is it a principle being put forth to control the debate so that only one side is heard?

The Chamber tells us it was part of the efforts to create the Utah Compact, for instance.  From the Chamber report mentioned in the ksl.com article:

"The Utah Compact – Working with community leaders, law enforcement officers, Utah’s religious communities and other business associations, the Chamber helped to develop The Utah Compact. The Compact has been lauded nationally and adopted by other states and municipalities across the country, while bringing a more reasoned approach to the immigration discussion."

(http://www.slchamber.com/uploads/files/PDF/PPG2012-FINAL.pdf)

Indeed, the Chamber even reproduces the Compact's principles on page 12 of its report.

While I do not know who actually runs "The Utah Compact" page on Facebook, it seems reasonable to assume it is someone who is attached to the official Utah Compact group in some fashion. 

If you go to this facebook page and click on the "Notes" button, you will find that the page has reproduced a New York Times editorial from December 4, 2010 (http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=182488208428131).

At utahcompact.com itself, the editorial is linked as well:

http://utahcompact.com/media-contact

The original at the New York Times is at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/opinion/05sun1.html?_r=1&src=twrhp

Notice also on the media page for the Utah Compact that Marty Carpenter of the Salt Lake Chamber is listed as a media contact for the Utah Compact.

Let's examine briefly a quote or two from this editorial to see how "civil" it is to those holding a divergent view. 

The first quote:

 
"Not all the political news this year involves the rise of partisan extremism and government by rage. There has been lots of that. But maybe there is a limit, a point when people of good sense and good will band together to say no. As they have just done in Utah"

Are you for the Utah Compact?  Then you have good sense and are standing up to extremists!  At least, according to the world being portrayed by the New York Times.  Those who are not on board with the Utah Compact program are being demonized.  Is that civil?  Cannot opponents of illegal immigration who want different solutions be people of good will?


Here's how the Times contrasted Utah's approach with Arizona's SB1070 approach:

 
"South of Utah in Arizona, the political establishment, top law-enforcement officers and voters have lined up behind a radical go-it-alone strategy to uproot and terrorize unwanted immigrants. That hard-line fever is spreading, with lawmakers in other states scrambling to pass their versions of the infamous Arizona law that empowers the police to demand people’s papers."

Sounds pretty horrific, doesn't it? 

It is clearly meant to.  Again, is characterizing enforcement of immigration laws in this fashion, and by implication those who wish such laws enforced, civil?  No.  It is meant to position the reader on the side of the position of the New York Times and to demonize opponents of that view as extremists who essentially want and are willing to terrorize people. 

If this is how the matter is portrayed in the media, i.e., with little or no real civil discussion of varying viewpoints on illegal immigration and options for enforcement, then we do not have civil discourse.  The call to civility will be merely one of allowing those holding the media cards to stand on a pedestal and point the finger at their political opponents.

If the Chamber is serious about civility, they might begin by calling for those running "The Utah Compact" facebook page and the utahcompact.com website to not reproduce uncivil discourse from the media and to remove links to offensive editorials, such as that by the New York Times.

Utah Compact Sources Page:

Utah Compact Sources Page:

Below are a variety of sources regarding the Utah Compact.  All items are posted for your information and consideration.  Views therein do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of this blog. 


Johnson, Karen:

Karen Johnson, a former Arizona State Senator, has written a number of very significant articles critical of the Utah Compact and pointing to those behind the compact.  What she has uncovered will be quite surprising to those who support the Utah Compact.  These articles are well-worth reading.  The series is available at newswithviews.com at:

http://newswithviews.com/Johnson/karenA.htm


Karen Johnson's articles are linked individually below:


Johnson, Karen  (Aug. 19, 2011)
"The One-Sided Utah Compact"
newswithviews.com
http://newswithviews.com/Johnson/karen100.htm

"Suffering near apoplexy over the passage of SB1070 in Arizona and the growing national movement to pass similar bills in other states, the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce rallied business groups, churches, and other like-minded organizations to devise a plan to head off any SB1070-type bills that might arise in state legislatures and buy time for Congress to pass amnesty. Pretending that the 'Utah Solution" was something new, unique, and more compassionate than previous attempts at immigration reform, they put it in a pretty new package, slapped a brand-new label on it, and took it on tour, trying to foist it off on other states and Congress. But despite the new packaging, it's still all about amnesty. And the vaunted diversity of the Utah Compact is a sham."


Johnson, Karen (Aug. 29, 2011)
"Propaganda and the Utah Compact"
newswithviews.com
http://newswithviews.com/Johnson/karen101.htm

"Most readers will be totally unaware of the subtle psychological traps in the Utah Compact. They will read the Compact and reach a conclusion — most likely in favor of amnesty — but will be unaware that the conclusion they have reached will not be freely made. It will not be based on a truthful, straightforward presentation of facts and arguments. Their conclusion will be the result of coercive psychological tricks and subtle mental manipulation. The Utah Compact is a seductive piece of political propaganda."


Johnson, Karen (Sep. 6, 2011)
"Who Wrote the Utah Compact?"
newswithviews.com
http://www.newswithviews.com/Johnson/karen102.htm

"We may never know for sure who actually wrote the Utah Compact. What is clear, however, is that the Compact is not some sparkling new approach to the complex problems of immigration that sprang forth with pristine virtue from the God-fearing Mormons of Utah, as its creators would have everyone believe. The Utah Compact is the cornerstone of a major campaign of the Left, conceived by Washington radicals, implemented with manipulation and deception, and funded by the likes of George Soros, with the goal of ramming amnesty down the throats of the American people, whether we like it or not."



Johnson, Karen  (Sept. 14, 2011)
"The Utah Compact and the Rule of Law"
newswithviews.com
http://www.newswithviews.com/Johnson/karen103.htm

"Like a lovely temptress, the Compact whispers beguiling phrases that seduce listeners into ignoring the Rule of Law in favor of a well-meaning but misguided compassion. We succumb to the temptress at our peril." 


Johnson, Karen  (Oct. 25, 2011)
"All Roads Lead to 'Radical' (Part 1 of 2)"
newswithviews.com
http://www.newswithviews.com/Johnson/karen104.htm

"The campaign to pass "comprehensive immigration reform," or amnesty, is charging like a speeding train at Congress. After the last major attempt went down to defeat in 2007, the open-borders advocates licked their wounds and regrouped, realizing they would have to reframe amnesty to make it look conservative and reduce the pressure on conservative Congressmen. The end result was the Utah Compact, a happy sounding statement of principles regarding immigration."



Johnson, Karen  (Oct. 25, 2011)
"All Roads Lead to 'Radical' (Part 2 of 2)"
newswithviews.com
http://www.newswithviews.com/Johnson/karen105.htm

"It doesn't matter which direction you approach the Utah Compact. Whether through its creators, its signers, its supporters, or its promoters, all roads lead to "radical." The Utah Compact was dreamed up by radicals, facilitated by radicals, fine-tuned by radicals, and funded by radicals. Now it's slithering from state to state, escorted by radicals who would have you believe that it's nothing more than a nice little conservative message." 


Johnson, Karen  (Dec. 7, 2011)
"Will the Utah Compact Derail Mitt Romney?"
newswithviews.com
http://www.newswithviews.com/Johnson/karen106.htm

"You can be sure that others have gotten the message loud and clear. Mitt Romney's 2007 "Faith in America" speech aside, many people are wondering once again what a Mormon candidate for political office will do when faced with a decision that appears contrary to the position of the LDS church leadership. Can Romney be trusted to secure the borders, since it appears that the leaders of the Mormon Church want amnesty?" 


Johnson, Karen  (Feb. 4, 2012)
"Where Did The LDS Church Go Wrong?"
newswithviews.com
http://www.newswithviews.com/Johnson/karen107.htm

"The leaders of the LDS Church may not have recognized the propaganda buried in the Utah Compact or the inflammatory, deceptive language of the statements issued by the Church Public Communications Department. But the creators of the Compact and the authors of the Church statements knew perfectly well what it all meant. They selected their words carefully and subtly embedded the propaganda into both the Compact and the Church statements. To the degree that the authors knew what they were doing, they are guilty of deceiving the Church leadership."


Robbins, Darrell:

Robbins, Darrell  (Jan. 25, 2011)
"The Real Utah Compact" 
immigrationutah.blogspot.com
http://immigrationutah.blogspot.com/2012/01/real-utah-compact.html
"Given the fact that the Utah Compact is being sold as a model for other states to mimic, a closer look at the document itself is warranted.  One goal of this "create a compact" operation seems to be to stir up support for an "America's Compact."  Absent such a nation-wide document, a secondary approach seems to be in play that consists of getting enough state compacts going to create a critical mass of pressure on Congress to pass "comprehensive immigration reform."'



Terran, Mark:  




Terran, Mark  (Jan. 25, 2012)
"When LDS leaders speak"
Salt Lake Tribune
sltrib.com
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/53325662-82/church-compact-utah-lds.html.csp


"The Utah Compact has been the subject of much discussion and considerable controversy. Some allege that it contains deliberately misleading language intended to subtly promote tolerance of illegal immigration, opposition to enforcement of immigration and other laws, and amnesty, in various guises, for individuals who flout the law."