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Latinos Feel “Under Siege,” Utah ‘Immigrant Hit List’ Includes Social Security Numbers, Due Dates

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It’s now wonder Latinos are beginning to feel under siege in America– judging by the latest out of Utah, they are.

A top Latino blogger at Vivir Latino writes:

I just…can’t even think of anything to say. My mouth is on the floor and I can’t pick it up.

They even included *due dates* of pregnant women. Due dates.

I feel safe, how about you?

At a time in which the Arizona GOP has made it acceptable for American citizens to go on witch-hunts for undocumented immigrants (i.e. suing police if they don’t profile people based on shoes, accents, and skin color), comes this highly disturbing story.  The New York Times‘ Kirk Johnson reports, in “‘Immigrant’ List Sets Off Fears:

A list of 1,300 Utah residents described as illegal immigrants has sown fear among some Hispanics here, and prompted an investigation into its origins and dissemination.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports:

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert wants to know whether any state employees helped create a list of 1,300 people an anonymous group has publicly accused of being undocumented immigrants.

Herbert on Tuesday ordered several state agencies to determine whether computer records were accessed inappropriately to create the detailed list, which arrived by mail Monday at media outlets, law enforcement agencies, and the state House and Senate. […] Utah law makes it a misdemeanor to disclose government data not meant for public dissemination, though there are protections for whistle blowers. The list included names, addresses, birth dates, phone numbers, and 31 social security numbers. Also included: the names and dates of birth of 201 children, and the due dates of six pregnant women. Almost every surname is Latino.

The Orwellian-named “Concerned Citizens of the United States” who released the list to media outlets and law enforcement agencies said they would be “listening and watching” to make sure those on the list, a majority of whom are Latino, are rounded up and deported.  It’s no wonder Latinos are feeling increasingly targeted, even those who’ve lived in this country for generations. Polling of Latinos conducted for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund and to be released next week finds that, according to Arturo Vargas, NALEO’s Executive Director:

“Latinos are feeling less optimistic and more under siege.”