A day that will live in infamy in Utah history? Probably not. The wise resistance offered by law enforcement agencies, and a compassionate interpretation of the new state law as it relates to social services, have blunted the negative impacts of anti-immigration legislation that took effect Wednesday.

Still, it was not a day to be proud of. Pandering to nativists and acting on their baser instincts, Utah lawmakers approved Senate Bill 81 in 2008, and stifled efforts to delay its implementation this year. Hotter heads prevailed.

The law is a misguided attempt to deal with real and perceived problems stemming from the federal government's failure to enforce and reform immigration laws. No doubt, there are issues that must be addressed.

Our nation needs to streamline the immigration process, provide a guest-worker program so businesses can address labor shortages when the economy recovers, and create a pathway to citizenship for the country's 12 million undocumented residents, including an estimated 110,000 living in Utah. But immigration reform is something best handled on Capitol Hill in Washington, not Salt Lake City.

Under SB81, government agencies, contractors and subcontractors will now have to verify the legal status of employees, and county sheriffs must ascertain the status of foreign nationals jailed for felonies or DUIs. And it's unclear if the restriction against "harboring" undocumented residents applies to landlords, or is exclusive to human traffickers.

But the most onerous provision of SB81, which authorized state and local law officers to enforce federal immigration law, has been shot down by police, who have declined to participate. Law enforcement officials say cross-deputizing officers would drive undocumented crime victims and witnesses underground and make our streets less safe.

The Utah Office of the Attorney General eased fears in health care and social services circles by determining that proof of citizenship will only be required for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, provisions already contained in federal law. Other offerings like cancer screenings, nutritional programs, and health and dental clinics receiving government support will not be impacted.

Several Utah attorneys are considering filing a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the law, and may seek an injunction to keep it from being enforced. Ideally, the courts would rule that immigration is a federal affair.

But in practice, SB81 does little more than send the ugly message that immigrants aren't wanted here, and fosters an unnecessary and unwarranted atmosphere of fear.