Latinos caught off guard by immigration legislation

Carolyn Hileman* | February 3, 2008

Some Latinos say they underestimated how fast and hard Utah lawmakers were going to push anti-illegal immigration legislation and there isn’t enough Hispanic representation fighting the measures on the Hill.

“I suspect we got a little complacent,” says Archie Archuleta, a Democrat and longtime activist. “We misjudged the strength of the anti-immigrant forces in the House.”

But a handful of Latinos who are attending committee meetings say they’re frustrated and feel like they’re wasting their time because lawmakers already have their minds made up.

In at least two recent committee hearings people waiting to express concerns on immigration-related bills have been muted. Just 10 minutes was allowed for about 100 people who showed up to discuss a controversial measure to repeal in-state college tuition for eligible undocumented students. On Thursday, a committee chairman limited public input on a move to repeal Utah’s driving privilege card for undocumented immigrants.

Antonella Romero Packard, a Republican, sits on the 33-member Utah Hispanic/Latino Legislative Task Force, a bi-partisan volunteer group. She say it’s hard for task force members to take time off from work to go to committee meetings, only to face arbitrary limits.

“They’re not listening,” Packard says. “Does it matter what we say?”

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