ravedown
07-15-2010, 10:29 AM
‘Illegal’ list sparks fear in community, state query
By Robert Gehrke
and Josie Pereira
The Salt Lake Tribune
July 14, 2010 11:51PM
Fear and mistrust reverberated throughout the Latino community Wednesday after an anonymous group distributed a list containing information on 1,300 people purportedly in the country illegally.
“The truth is … I am afraid [immigration agents] will come knock on my door at night,” said a man in his 40s who lives in Salt Lake City with his wife and 8-year-old son. He emigrated from Guatemala 20 years ago and is not here legally.
“I don’t feel good about this. I’m worried” all the time, said the man, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
A Salt Lake City mother of two young children, who is in the country illegally, heard about the list on Spanish-language radio but didn’t know her name was on it until she was contacted by The Salt Lake Tribune.
“It makes me mad because they take advantage of one’s innocence,” she said, speaking only upon assurance her name would not be used. “The trust has been lost.”
Both fear information they gave to the Census Bureau may have been compromised. The woman said she also signed a petition opposing an Arizona-style immigration law at a Cinco de Mayo gathering, and signed up for the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The father applied for Medicaid but was rejected.
Gov. Gary Herbert ordered an investigation Tuesday to determine whether or not the information originated from a state agency.
The anonymous list was sent to immigration officials in April. News outlets received an updated version of the list Monday, along with a letter challenging immigration and law enforcement officials to immediately deport the individuals on the list.
“Our group observes these people in our neighborhoods, driving on our streets, working in our stores, attending our schools and entering our public welfare buildings,” according to a letter accompanying the list sent to federal immigration officials. “We then spend the time and effort needed to gather information along with legal Mexican nationals who infiltrate their social networks and help us obtain the necessary information we need to add them to our list.”
Tony Yapias, an advocate with the group Proyecto Latino de Utah, said he was barraged with calls Wednesday from people fearful their names were on the list.
“Most of them are not, so they just take a big relief. ‘Thank you, God. Thank you.’ Every once in a while we get someone who is on the list,” he said. “You can feel them with tears on the other end of the line. They’re scared. They say, ‘What do I do? Where do I go? Should I move? Should I leave?’ ”
Yapias said he tries to keep people calm and urges them not to take any drastic measures.
He said there is no doubt in his mind that the information came from the state’s Department of Workforce Services.
“Every single one [on the list] I’ve talked to, they have sought services from that agency at some point,” he said. Moreover, foreign-born children in families are on the list while those born in the United States are not because they are eligible for benefits, he said.
The governor ordered the investigation, based on the possibility the volume of the information in the list indicates government data was compromised. Teams of investigators spent Wednesday combing through tens of thousands of records.
“We’ve got staff working on it full time. It’s a priority for us, and right now we’re looking predominantly at data sources in the Workforce Services area,” said Ken Petersen, deputy director of Utah’s Department of Technology Services.
The Department of Workforce Services said Wednesday it has 10 database experts working full time to determine whether or not the information came from inside its ranks. The department provides unemployment benefits, food stamps, low-income medical care and child care to Utahns.
The investigation may be complicated because the department completed a transition to a new computer system July 1, meaning most of the data on the list pre-dated the new database.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the department had not made an effort to contact anyone on the list.
“We don’t want to go off half-cocked,” said Dave Lewis, DWS spokesman. “We want to know clearly what we know.”
A 27-year-old woman who has been living illegally in Salt Lake City for six years said she and her friends are nervous about being included on the list.
“Everyone is talking about it,” she said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Everyone is a little nervous.”
Still, she said she hasn’t changed her lifestyle and doesn’t plan to go into hiding over her identification on the list.
Maria Gomez, 44, is on the list, even though she and her 19-year-old son, Roberto, became permanent residents last month. The Fillmore mother had received Medicaid temporarily, but was later found to be ineligible.
“I feel very bad because, hey, one has done nothing to no one” to deserve such treatment, Gomez said. “Thank God, I’m not [undocumented] anymore.”
By Robert Gehrke
and Josie Pereira
The Salt Lake Tribune
July 14, 2010 11:51PM
Fear and mistrust reverberated throughout the Latino community Wednesday after an anonymous group distributed a list containing information on 1,300 people purportedly in the country illegally.
“The truth is … I am afraid [immigration agents] will come knock on my door at night,” said a man in his 40s who lives in Salt Lake City with his wife and 8-year-old son. He emigrated from Guatemala 20 years ago and is not here legally.
“I don’t feel good about this. I’m worried” all the time, said the man, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
A Salt Lake City mother of two young children, who is in the country illegally, heard about the list on Spanish-language radio but didn’t know her name was on it until she was contacted by The Salt Lake Tribune.
“It makes me mad because they take advantage of one’s innocence,” she said, speaking only upon assurance her name would not be used. “The trust has been lost.”
Both fear information they gave to the Census Bureau may have been compromised. The woman said she also signed a petition opposing an Arizona-style immigration law at a Cinco de Mayo gathering, and signed up for the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The father applied for Medicaid but was rejected.
Gov. Gary Herbert ordered an investigation Tuesday to determine whether or not the information originated from a state agency.
The anonymous list was sent to immigration officials in April. News outlets received an updated version of the list Monday, along with a letter challenging immigration and law enforcement officials to immediately deport the individuals on the list.
“Our group observes these people in our neighborhoods, driving on our streets, working in our stores, attending our schools and entering our public welfare buildings,” according to a letter accompanying the list sent to federal immigration officials. “We then spend the time and effort needed to gather information along with legal Mexican nationals who infiltrate their social networks and help us obtain the necessary information we need to add them to our list.”
Tony Yapias, an advocate with the group Proyecto Latino de Utah, said he was barraged with calls Wednesday from people fearful their names were on the list.
“Most of them are not, so they just take a big relief. ‘Thank you, God. Thank you.’ Every once in a while we get someone who is on the list,” he said. “You can feel them with tears on the other end of the line. They’re scared. They say, ‘What do I do? Where do I go? Should I move? Should I leave?’ ”
Yapias said he tries to keep people calm and urges them not to take any drastic measures.
He said there is no doubt in his mind that the information came from the state’s Department of Workforce Services.
“Every single one [on the list] I’ve talked to, they have sought services from that agency at some point,” he said. Moreover, foreign-born children in families are on the list while those born in the United States are not because they are eligible for benefits, he said.
The governor ordered the investigation, based on the possibility the volume of the information in the list indicates government data was compromised. Teams of investigators spent Wednesday combing through tens of thousands of records.
“We’ve got staff working on it full time. It’s a priority for us, and right now we’re looking predominantly at data sources in the Workforce Services area,” said Ken Petersen, deputy director of Utah’s Department of Technology Services.
The Department of Workforce Services said Wednesday it has 10 database experts working full time to determine whether or not the information came from inside its ranks. The department provides unemployment benefits, food stamps, low-income medical care and child care to Utahns.
The investigation may be complicated because the department completed a transition to a new computer system July 1, meaning most of the data on the list pre-dated the new database.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the department had not made an effort to contact anyone on the list.
“We don’t want to go off half-cocked,” said Dave Lewis, DWS spokesman. “We want to know clearly what we know.”
A 27-year-old woman who has been living illegally in Salt Lake City for six years said she and her friends are nervous about being included on the list.
“Everyone is talking about it,” she said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Everyone is a little nervous.”
Still, she said she hasn’t changed her lifestyle and doesn’t plan to go into hiding over her identification on the list.
Maria Gomez, 44, is on the list, even though she and her 19-year-old son, Roberto, became permanent residents last month. The Fillmore mother had received Medicaid temporarily, but was later found to be ineligible.
“I feel very bad because, hey, one has done nothing to no one” to deserve such treatment, Gomez said. “Thank God, I’m not [undocumented] anymore.”