Inaugurations & Immigration Reform

The inauguration ceremony for members of Utah's Executive Branch was held this week at the Eccles Theatre in downtown Salt Lake City. Governor Spencer Cox and Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson both took the oath of office and delivered an inaugural address. Our panel examines the tone of their speeches, and what it signals about their next four years in office.

Plus, with about a week and a half until the 2025 Utah Legislative Session begins, state lawmakers are already making their policy priorities clear. Republican lawmakers held a news conference this week to discuss several bills they will sponsor tackling immigration issues. The policies would primarily target immigrants who are in the country illegally and commit other crimes while they are here.

These proposals call into question whether political leaders remain committed to the Utah Compact on Immigration. That is a statement signed by hundreds of Utah business and community leaders in 2010, and re-signed in 2019, that affirms Utah's commitment to treating immigrants with humanity, opposing policies that would separate families, and incorporating immigrants into the workforce and economy. We discuss how these new policies fit in with the original intent of the Utah Compact, and how they could influence immigrants in the Beehive State.

Host Jason Perry is joined by Representative Candice Pierucci, a Republican from Riverton and the Majority Caucus Manager in the Utah House — Dennis Romboy, an editor with the Deseret News — and Chris Bleak, a political commentator and partner with RRJ Consulting.

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