Utah Governor Gary Herbert to hear all angles of immigration debate.  Governor Herbert plans to bring together Utah residents on all sides of the immigration debate in a “round-table discussion.”  He says he wants to hear all points of view on the topic so Utah can come up with a “correct” immigration bill.  He hopes for frank, open, and respectful dialogue.

Law enforcement officers in Ohio are cracking down on the Secure Communities federal law.  A number of Ohio counties are joining the Secure Communities federal law that allows officers to check immigration records maintained by the Department of Homeland Security any time someone is arrested or booked for a misdemeanor or felony.  Critics fear enforcement of this law relies too heavily on racial profiling.  New York also recently signed on to this federal law. 

Advocates for and against comprehensive immigration reform battle it out at the state level.  As each day passes, comprehensive immigration reform seems less and less likely this legislative session.  So, those in favor of comprehensive immigration reform are taking the battle to the states.  In Pennsylvania, Senator Daylin Leach introduced a bill that would block Arizona copycat legislation in his state.  In Utah, while some lawmakers are pushing for copycat legislation, others are drafting bills that would increase health care coverage for immigrant children.  Iowa and Michigan are also among the “battle of bills” states.   

Law preventing businesses from employing undocumented workers took effect Thursday in South Carolina.  Small businesses in South Carolina are now subject to fines and the possibility of being shutdown if they hire undocumented workers.  Small businesses must check the legal status of all potential hires and fire any existing workers known by the employer to be undocumented.  The law will be enforced by investigations conducted by the Office of Immigrant Worker Compliance who received a budget increase from $750,000 to $2 million to carry out the law.