Utah Vigilante Group

I remember reading a couple of articles a few months ago about a vigilante group in Utah that sent law enforcement officials and local media a list of 1300 "illegal immigrants." I remember being shocked about the amount of information the list is accredited with having. According to various articles, this list included the full names of people believed to be illegally in the country--including children--in some cases their social security numbers, telephone numbers, date of birth, and even identifies pregnant women along with expected due dates! The letter is signed by "Concerned Citizens of the United States" and demands the immediate deportation of those listed. Along with the list, the group provided an ominous note that confessed to voyeuristic methods of obtaining the given information. The group also stated that they have "infiltrated" these social networks via the help of "Mexican nationals." It must also be noted that after following a few of these leads it has been discovered that more than a few of those listed are in fact legal citizens.

I found this news to be not only horrifying but disgusting. The idea that this growing fear of illegal immigrants is quickly snowballing into a blatant violation of privacy is terrifying. I can only imagine the fear of being noticeably Latino/a and living in a state where the issue of immigration is quickly being seen as a severe threat and putting individuals seemingly at risk of being assaulted.