Utah probes criminal public disclosure of illegal immigrants
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(AFP) – 2 hours ago

WASHINGTON — Utah is investigating the criminal naming of hundreds of illegal immigrants to media and authorities, allegedly by rogue state employees seeking their deportation, the state attorney general said Friday.

"We're talking serious crime. The word we need to get out there is that we're taking it seriously," Mark Shurtleff told reporters in a telephone conference.

Utah borders Arizona, which made headlines recently by passing a tough law to curb illegal immigration that some believe can lead to racial profiling by police. President Barack Obama's administration has also challenged the law's constitutionality.

"There are the names of two (state) employees... there might be more,"Shurtleff said of those suspected of leaking the list of 1,300 people, including entire families and pregnant women. The list included names, addresses, telephone, social security numbers and places of work.

It was sent to state agencies and newspapers by a group calling itself Concerned Citizens of the United States, which also provided a letter urging that all illegal immigrants, especially pregnant women, be immediately deported.

Shurtleff said the list was shown to Utah Governor Gary Herbert, who ordered an investigation into the matter starting Monday.

Public disclosure of private information, such as a pregnant woman's due date, is a federal crime, the Utah official stressed.

"Clearly, some federal privacy laws have been violated... It would have to be a joint federal-state investigation. We can't say a whole lot more," he added.

Shurtleff said Utah authorities had decided not to support Arizona in its legal fight with Washington over its immigration law, which is due to go into effect July 29.

Utah has 2.7 million mostly white and Mormon inhabitants, 12 percent of whom are Hispanic.