Data assault on Latinos

Congress is standing by idly as more immigrants and Latinos are attacked. The latest campaign is nothing short of information vigilantism.

In Utah, state agencies are investigating how the personal information of 1,300 people was leaked. The detailed information included Social Security numbers, birth dates, and phone numbers.

A cowardly, anonymous group sent the list to media and law enforcement agencies claiming that the people they targeted, mostly Latinos, were in the United States illegally and demanded that they be deported. This group went beyond violating privacy—it reportedly included the names of children along with due dates of pregnant women.

This is outrageous. The state must get to the bottom of how personal information that could have come out of its own agencies was stolen and released. And it must take strict measures to protect the personal data of people. People – whether they are citizens, legal permanent residents or undocumented—are not going to have confidence in their government if they feel vulnerable to a gaping security issue.

What happened in Utah must be firmly condemned and prevented not only in that state but also throughout the nation. Civil liberties groups and immigrant advocates are looking at possible legal action, as they should. They must also demand that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) refrain from reviewing a list that clearly targeted Latinos.

This data persecution takes place amid a daily push for anti immigrant ordinances, as more violent attacks against immigrants take place in Staten Island, and with a battle over Arizona’s SB1070 law.

So we ask, what more does Congress need to see to realize that its failure to produce immigration reform is risking the lives of immigrants and prompting un-American violations of civil rights and liberties?

Congress is standing by idly as more immigrants and Latinos are attacked. The latest campaign is nothing short of information vigilantism.

In Utah, state agencies are investigating how the personal information of 1,300 people was leaked. The detailed information included Social Security numbers, birth dates, and phone numbers.

A cowardly, anonymous group sent the list to media and law enforcement agencies claiming that the people they targeted, mostly Latinos, were in the United States illegally and demanded that they be deported. This group went beyond violating privacy—it reportedly included the names of children along with due dates of pregnant women.

This is outrageous. The state must get to the bottom of how personal information that could have come out of its own agencies was stolen and released. And it must take strict measures to protect the personal data of people. People – whether they are citizens, legal permanent residents or undocumented—are not going to have confidence in their government if they feel vulnerable to a gaping security issue.

What happened in Utah must be firmly condemned and prevented not only in that state but also throughout the nation. Civil liberties groups and immigrant advocates are looking at possible legal action, as they should. They must also demand that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) refrain from reviewing a list that clearly targeted Latinos.

This data persecution takes place amid a daily push for anti immigrant ordinances, as more violent attacks against immigrants take place in Staten Island, and with a battle over Arizona’s SB1070 law.

So we ask, what more does Congress need to see to realize that its failure to produce immigration reform is risking the lives of immigrants and prompting un-American violations of civil rights and liberties?

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