As the Pioneer Day celebrations wind down and the parades clear out, it’s hard not to think about the people who built this state. They wanted a better future for their families. They brought little more than determination, a belief in something bigger than themselves and a willingness to work through hardship. Those values still shape Utah today.
If we truly honor that legacy, we ought to apply those same values to how we talk about immigration.
Talk to employers along the Wasatch Front or in rural Utah, and you’ll hear the same frustration: The current immigration system isn’t working for employers, families or communities. Employers can’t find enough workers. Our immigration courts face serious backlogs, leaving too many people waiting without certainty.
This isn’t just a political debate. Utah families are feeling it every day. According to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, our workforce growth is slowing as our population ages. Meanwhile, immigrants already make up about 10% of our neighbors, filling nearly a quarter of Utah’s construction jobs and a fifth of our manufacturing positions.
The effects show up in places most Utahns recognize. A contractor delays a project because crews are short. A farmer loses part of a harvest. And our universities train thousands of STEM graduates who contribute to Utah’s economy, yet too often our visa system pushes that talent elsewhere. According to a FWD’s Utah fact sheet, about 23,000 immigrants in Utah work in STEM-related jobs.
Beyond the numbers, these are our neighbors. They are dreamers who grew up in our neighborhoods, immigrants who have built businesses and careers here, and people who contribute to the communities they call home. In a state that values strong families and neighbors helping neighbors, we should recognize the strain carried by families living with daily uncertainty. When parents hesitate to take their children to a doctor, participate in their schools or seek help when they need it, the effects reach beyond one household — they affect the entire community.
Utahns care deeply about the rule of law — it’s built into our culture. But a system that no longer reflects our economy or our communities does not strengthen the rule of law; it weakens confidence in it. For Utah families and employers, the consequences are immediate: uncertainty for families, workforce shortages for businesses and delays for communities trying to grow. The current system is failing Utah’s families, businesses and communities.
We’ve shown the country how to do this before. In 2010, Utah leaders from across the political spectrum came together to sign the Utah Compact, recognizing that immigration is vital to our economy, that families belong together and that practical solutions are better than political posturing. That same spirit was evident in the work of Sen. Orrin Hatch, who backed bipartisan legislation like the DREAM Act — an effort to provide a legal pathway for young immigrants brought to the country as children. While Congress never enacted the DREAM Act, Hatch’s leadership reflected a Utah tradition of searching for workable solutions to difficult challenges. That tradition of civility and common sense is sorely needed today.
Congress needs to step up. Utah’s delegation has a real opportunity to lead the charge for practical reforms: streamlining legal visas, giving certainty to long-term residents, fixing court backlogs and securing our borders.
The pioneers who rolled into the Salt Lake Valley were looking for a chance to work, provide and belong. The circumstances are different, and the challenges facing today’s immigrants are different. That desire is familiar to Utahns. It is still part of Utah’s story.