Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. has told a radio station that the decline in the number of illegally present immigrants in the country due to the recession has reduced the need to implement SB81, the state’s new employer sanctions law. Huntsman also warned his fellow Republicans:
‘Before we rush headlong into anything, first of all listen very carefully to what the federal government is going to do.’ Huntsman said, adding that one reason national Republicans took a beating in the 2008 elections is because they lost the Hispanic vote by 2-to-1 to Democratic candidates, and the ‘critical’ tone of Republicans on immigration was a big factor in those numbers.