On Monday, February 25, the Utah Senate passed an anti-illegal immigration bill, SB81, by a vote of 24 to 5. The bill, which is considered a "kinder" version of a similar bill approved last year by the Oklahoma state legislature, now heads to the House where it appears to have a good chance for passage.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune for February 26:

Among other things, the bill would enlist state and local law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration statutes, force public employers and their contractors to verify the legal status of workers and make it a Class A misdemeanor to transport or shelter undocumented immigrants.

Last week on February 22 the Utah Senate passed by a vote of 26 to 2 an anti-illegal immigration resolution (SR3) very similar to the model anti-illegal immigration resolution discussed in "How to Fix Illegal Immigration" in the March 3 issue of The New American.

The Utah Senate’s anti-illegal immigration resolution "urges the United States Congress to ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States’ by passing the necessary and appropriate legislation to resolve the illegal immigration crisis; urges that the legislation should address U.S. border security, stop illegal immigration, and end birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants; and urges that the legislation reject amnesty for illegal immigrants and cease any government program or agreement that would lead to the creation of an open borders North American Union."

In a related development, on February 4 the Utah House passed H.R. 1, a "Resolution Encouraging United States Withdrawal from Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America" (and "any other activity which seeks to create a North American Union") by a vote of 57 to 15.

A commitment on the part of many government and business leaders to establish an open-borders North American Union is seen by many as an important reason for the lack of enforcement our nation’s immigration laws.

Citizens who favor stopping illegal immigration by securing our borders and enforcing our existing immigration laws can send an editable, pre-written email with this message to their senators and representatives in the U.S. Congress by going to http://capwiz.com/jbs/issues/alert/?alertid=10790986.