INSIDE SOURCES

Inside Sources: Salt Lake County Mayor’s trip to U.S.-Mexico border

Sep 20, 2019, 6:24 PM | Updated: Apr 13, 2020, 2:30 pm

Jenny Wilson background checks...

Photo: KSL TV

Salt Lake City — Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson joined Inside Sources host Jason Perry on Friday to talk about her recent daylong trip to the El Paso, Texas, and on the broken immigration situation at the US-Mexico border.

Perry asked her why she decided to visit El Paso.

Wilson said she traveled to the border as part of a delegation of the National Association of Counties because federal immigration policy is affecting the situation on the ground in Salt Lake County.

“I just wanted to see for myself. There’s a lot of hyperbole and finger-pointing. I wanted to know what was really going on,” she said.

What can you do about [immigration] as mayor of Salt Lake County, “when the federal government has not been able to [reform] it?” Perry asked.

“We have to keep working to support our population on the ground here [in Salt Lake County],” she said. “We have a growing Latino population. We have people living in the shadows, many of them children who came here not by their own choice. Many are enrolled in the University of Utah.

She cited the work of the Mayor’s Office of New Americans, whose leader is out in the community daily supporting and welcoming the newest residents of Salt Lake County.

She said, “I think I can become a more active participant in a local coalition that will help lobby Congress for change. It’s time for a resolution. I don’t care who the president is; I don’t care who the speaker of the House is or what the party affiliation is. We need to come together.”

“The system has been without reform for far too long,” she said.

She was concerned about a recent Trump administration policy of asking Mexico to shelter asylum-seekers from Central and South America while they await their day in U.S. immigration court.

“These people are waiting for months and months and months. I was told it would be next summer before court cases that were eligible today would actually be reviewed,” Wilson said. “We are now asking Mexico, one of the poorest nations in the world, to shelter these people, fold them into the community.

“It is a failure of our nation, with the resources that we have, with the acceptance that we have in the state and the interest in solving it. I would be more than happy to check a box to raise my own taxes to assure that we are doing our best with this population while we work through this system.

“I just don’t think it’s logical nor fair,” she said, “to pass the buck over to Mexico.”

Wilson said she didn’t think Congress is best set up for the “in-depth work that it takes” to tackle issues surrounding the U.S. immigration system.

“Our academic institutions are better equipped to do it. The county government is probably better equipped,” she said.

“Maybe we could ask Congress to fund a special envoy who comes together locally with specialists, with attorneys and with those who have worked with these communities and give them a six-month timeframe to come up with a real proposal, a bipartisan proposal,” Wilson said.

“One of the things I’m going to try to figure out is how my voice matters now that I’ve had this unique experience,” she said.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here.

Inside Sources

Mitt Romney shown...

Sam Herrera

LISTEN: Romney talks budget, wildfires and TikTok

Sen. Mitt Romney says Democrats and Republicans needed to work together to budget and build legislation that will actually pass.

5 days ago

Utah Rep. John Curtis discusses how a “stunt” by TikTok to influence House lawmakers just anger...

KSL NewsRadio

TikTok ‘stunt’ backfires as House lawmakers push to change company ownership

Utah Rep. John Curtis discusses how a “stunt” by TikTok to influence House lawmakers just angered them.

10 days ago

Dow...

Curt Gresseth

Dow closes down more than 500 points

The Dow dropped more than 750 points before closing down 525 points as inflation numbers rose higher than economists were anticipating.

1 month ago

cellphone schools...

Curt Gresseth

Governor’s message to students: ‘hang up and learn’

Gov. Spencer Cox wants cellphones to be banned in Utah schools during instruction time.

2 months ago

debt...

Curt Gresseth

Romney and Moore look to tame $34 trillion U.S. debt

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, weighing in on the $34 trillion U.S. debt and what, if anything, can do about it.

2 months ago

Cooper Brannon, 8, watches his father, Austin, vote at the Salt Lake County Government Center in Sa...

Simone Seikaly

One more day to officially switch political parties in Utah

This voter switching date is important for anybody who wants to participate in the Republican caucus on March 5.

2 months ago

Sponsored Articles

Mother and cute toddler child in a little fancy wooden cottage, reading a book, drinking tea and en...

Visit Bear Lake

How to find the best winter lodging in Bear Lake, Utah

Winter lodging in Bear Lake can be more limited than in the summer, but with some careful planning you can easily book your next winter trip.

Happy family in winter clothing at the ski resort, winter time, watching at mountains in front of t...

Visit Bear Lake

Ski more for less: Affordable ski resorts near Bear Lake, Utah

Plan your perfect ski getaway in Bear Lake this winter, with pristine slopes, affordable tickets, and breathtaking scenery.

front of the Butch Cassidy museum with a man in a cowboy hat standing in the doorway...

Bear Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau

Looking Back: The History of Bear Lake

The history of Bear Lake is full of fascinating stories. At over 250,000 years old, the lake has seen generations of people visit its shores.

silhouette of a family looking over a lake with a bird in the top corner flying...

Bear Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau

8 Fun Activities To Do in Bear Lake Without Getting in the Water

Bear Lake offers plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy without having to get in the water. Catch 8 of our favorite activities.

Wellsville Mountains in the spring with a pond in the foreground...

Wasatch Property Management

Advantages of Renting Over Owning a Home

Renting allows you to enjoy luxury amenities and low maintenance without the long-term commitment and responsibilities of owning a home.

Clouds over a red rock vista in Hurricane, Utah...

Wasatch Property Management

Why Southern Utah is a Retirement Paradise

Retirement in southern Utah offers plenty of cultural and recreational opportunities. Find out all that this region has to offer.

Inside Sources: Salt Lake County Mayor’s trip to U.S.-Mexico border