Utah Immigration Law Put On Hold
SALT LAKE CITY - Utah's enforcement-only immigration policy has been put on hold just 15 hours after it became law, state officials said.
U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups issued a temporary restraining order against enforcement of the law and set July 14 for a hearing on a request for a preliminary injunction, The Salt Lake City Tribune reported.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the National Immigration Law Center are representing several Latino individuals and organizations suing the state over the law.
The measure, modeled after a similar one in Arizona, allows police to question people arrested for felonies and class A, misdemeanors and those booked on class B, and C misdemeanors about their status in the country.
Juan Manuel Ruiz, the president of Salt Lake City's Latin American Chamber of Commerce, said the damage has already been done.
"As it is, many (Latinos) have already thought about leaving the state," Ruiz told Salt Lake City's Deseret News. "The message is, we're not sure we want you here."
