The Salt Lake Chamber was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Utah Compact, which advocated for policies that increase racial equity and provide all of Utah’s residents with opportunities for success. Utah’s immigrant population, including DACA recipients, makes up nearly 17% of our total population. There is a sizable minority Hispanic population of 14% and a growing Polynesian community. These are people who believe in our country and want to contribute. They are raising families, playing sports, attending schools and building our economy through workforce participation.
Utah is known as an entrepreneurial state and many members of these immigrant communities are skilled entrepreneurs. We should encourage more to start businesses, seek to employ others and share their voices in community decision-making. Utah has taken a sensible and principled approach to this challenge for over a decade. The Utah Compact was originally conceived in November of 2010 and reaffirmed in March 2019. The Compact points our focus to five principles we believe should not only guide Utah’s discussion but our national conversation.
These guiding principles include:
- Federal Solutions: Immigration is a federal policy;
- Law Enforcement: Respect the rule of law and support law enforcement in doing their job;
- Family Cohesion: Strong families make up successful societies, support policies that strengthen their success;
- Economy: Free-market approaches often yield the best outcome and immigrants are key contributors to our workforce and we must be welcoming to those seeking opportunity;
- A Free Society: Immigrants are valuable partners in our communities and help enrich our nation and state. We should welcome people of goodwill.
Legislative Priorities
- We support policies and programs that seek to further the goals of The Utah Compact on Immigration.
- We support smart immigration policy reforms so Utah and the United States can create economic growth, build jobs and encourage innovation and entrepreneurship.
