‘I did not do this,’ state worker says about list

SALT LAKE CITY — A computer specialist in the Utah Department of Workforce Services is under investigation in the compiling and distributing of a list of 1,300 Utahns purported to be in the country illegally.

Teresa Bassett, 58, is one of two state employees whom authorities have focused on, a government source confirmed.

Reached by the Deseret News at her parents' home in Hyrum on Thursday, Bassett said she did not want to talk. A family member said she has hired an attorney and plans to meet with him next week.

Later in the day, though, Bassett told KSL to "let everyone know that I did not do this." She said, "I'm very hurt. I'm very angry. I'm very confused." Then, she said, "I did not do this."

When asked to elaborate, Bassett said, "I'm rather paranoid right now. … I have to be careful about what I say. … I'm afraid of saying anything."

Bassett, who state officials say is being fired, worked in eligibility services in the Salt Lake Valley. Another unidentified woman who worked in that area as a temporary employee has been fired. Prior to joining Workforce Services, Bassett worked in information technology for the state Department of Corrections.

Meanwhile, a state lawmaker wants to make legal what the two women allegedly did as means to identify and deport undocumented immigrants. And Workforce Services on Thursday drafted an apology letter to be sent to those on the list.

"We sincerely regret the actions of these former employees and are reassessing our policies to determine other ways we can strengthen data security and prevent future breaches of confidentiality," said the letter written in Spanish and English.

It reassures those named that the federal government prohibits the department from sharing information about alleged undocumented immigrants with immigration enforcement agencies or law enforcement.

State officials say two Workforce Services employees breached a database to gather personal information, including addresses and private health data to compile the list. It was distributed anonymously last week to law enforcement and news media under the name Concerned Citizens of the United States with demands that those listed be deported. It contained birth dates, addresses and phone numbers, had the due dates of several pregnant women and listed Social Security numbers used by many and the names of many children.