Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Peter Cooke gathered leaders from Utah minority communities Friday to outline his policy on immigration in the state.
Cooke praised leaders from the state’s Hispanic, Asian and Middle Eastern communities among others. He pledged he would restore the state Office of Ethnic Affairs and pointed to the Utah Compact as guide for how his administration would handle immigration policy.
“I would take an approach towards immigration perfectly expressed by the Compact. And one that reaffirms our global reputation as a welcoming and business friendly state," said Cooke.
The Utah Compact is document that proposes a series of guidelines for taking a compassionate approach immigration reform. It’s existed for almost two years, but Cooke officially signed the compact on October 1st of this year. He says he will oppose any legislation that conflicts with the compact and that includes HB 497 and SB 116, Utah’s immigration enforcement and guest worker laws. Cooke criticized Governor Herbert for not signing the compact. A spokesman for the Governor’s campaign told KUER that Herbert supports the principles of the compact and has instead put his energy into passing and signing HB 497 and SB 116.