ACLU Of Utah Commends Swift Action To Address Stolen Information On List Of Names

Governor And Attorney General Responded Appropriately To Media And Public Demands For An Investigation After List Of 1300 Names Of Individuals Purported To Be Undocumented Immigrants Became Public

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: media@aclu.org

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – The ACLU of Utah commends the swift action of Governor Gary Herbert and Attorney General Mark Shurtleff in responding to the legitimate public outcry and widespread demand that they investigate the extraordinary breach of privacy by state employees, which became publicly known earlier this week.

Once the list of 1300 names (of individuals alleged to be in the country without required documentation) became public, pursuing those who were responsible became urgent and unavoidable. The willingness of many senior state officials, legislators, and advocates to speak out against these deplorable tactics was essential to encouraging the investigation.

For state employees to use confidential databases to publicly target specific individuals is not only outrageous, but also frightening. No matter our individual feelings about immigration reform, we must demand that our government more carefully regulate and restrict access to databases containing such highly personal information. Protecting each individual’s right to privacy requires nothing less.

A more complete response by the ACLU of Utah to the list’s release can be found in this blog post at the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-mccreary/no-more-intimidation-tact_b_649567.html

More information about the ACLU of Utah’s work on immigrants’ rights, as well as many other civil liberties issues in our state, can be found at: www.acluutah.org.