The immigration issue is heating up in Utah. Just a day after reports that an anonymous group circulated the names of over a thousand Utah residents it claimed are in the country illegally, Gov. Gary Herbert announced a statewide roundtable next week on immigration reform.
As reported in La Plaza, the list contains very detailed information including social security numbers, addresses, names of children and due dates for expectant mothers. It is almost exclusively comprised of Hispanic names
Lawmakers in Utah have also expressed their willingness to introduce anti-immigration legislation similar to that of Arizona’s controversial S.B. 1070 during their state’s upcoming 2011 legislative session. The possibly that their state may follow in the steps of Arizona and implement anti-immigration has met with opposition from Utah citizens, which in part prompted the governor to hold the meeting.
Gov. Herbert has invited various stakeholders including minority groups and business leaders to take part in the discussion to be held Tuesday.
Herbert has also initiated an investigation into the possible leak of restricted state-based information. Tony Yapias, director of Proyecto Latino de Utah, called for an investigation to find out who might have released the list of Social Security numbers, birth dates and addresses from around the state.
The conservative group, Utah Coalition on Illegal Immigration, has been blamed by Yapias for the leak.
“They have elevated the debate to this degree because of their intolerance,” said Yapias, who also worked as a director of the Office of Hispanic Affairs under former Gov. Michael Leavitt.
The group has denied any involvement and denounced the person or group responsible for compiling and releasing the list.
In Utah, the intentional release of a private record is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
It would be a bad move for Utah to make. They’re only going to alienate the Latino vote. At the rate all these politicians are going…Bush is on his way to becoming the last Republican in the White House for a long time to come…