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

Good to know these two right-wing "heroes" really did a thorough job of collecting solid, accurate and indisputable data.

Ms.Bassett's actions were illegal and should be punished.

Sadly this is often the fate of whistle blowers, and political activists. However, those advocating leftist causes are usually praised by the media, and given a pass by the prosecutors.

But Ms. Bassett should not be punished until the state takes action to investigate and prosecute every illegal act committed by the persons identified on "the list."

Or, are some laws okay to disobey? Are some criminals "more equal" than others?

It looks like the data on the list is accurate according to state records.

I hope Theresa realizes that she not only will face criminal charges but will also most likely lose her retirement. Was it really worth breaking the law to expose people we already know about? Terrible judgement Theresa...

I'm not a litigious person, but does that mean that everyone who is on the Medicaid database may have had their identity compromised? Is the State now open to federal HIPAA lawsuits from people who have kids on CHIP?

Smooth work.

It's good to know that these state workers were looking out for the good of the state. It would certainly be better to deport the parents of all the citizen children, thereby rendering them orphans. I'm sure the debt incurred by raising these kids in state-run facilities would be better than letting their own parents raise them, with a little help for the kids' health insurance.

Good job, heroes!!

(obviously I'm being facetious, please don't take my comment literally)

If I was this state worker....I would seek whistleblower status immediately and find the best lawyer I could that would be willing to take my case.

Right or wrong...its seems that she is the first person in state or federal government to take a stand against illegal immigration. Other than the misdemeanor charges against her...she did nothing else wrong.

He actions leave me wondering why the state hasn't acted upon this information sooner. This case has at least shown that the information needed to identify illegal aliens is available to the state. Now, don't get me wrong...I'm not suggesting racial profiling....being African American, I know how painfully racist that is. But, we should be examining files, records, birth certificates, school records, etc. to determine if someone is illegal. If they are found to be illegal...then we needs steps to identify, apprehend, detain, prosecute if necessary and deport. Its that simple.

I have commment on a lot of these posts and still haven't gotten my original question answered. Why do illegal aliens come here illegally when the INS offers legal ways to become a US Citizen.

I fail to see why compiling such a list is illegal. And don't try to tell me personal information was involved. So what? We are talking about criminal activity on behalf of those illegal people whose names are on the list. Why should their information be protected?

These women should be upheld as a standard for the rest of the citizens of this country to aspire to. Now go ahead and blast away at me all you liberal feel-good tree huggers.

Well, DN Subs, since there's no indication on the "list" that any person on it had committed any violation of Utah law, there shouldn't be much of a wait before the book gets thrown at Ms. Basset. And it should be.

If a person on the list entered the U.S. without inspection, that's not a violation of any Utah law, and it might not be a crime under Federal law. (And if it is a misdemeanor unlawful entry, there's no way that the Feds will prosecute--they just don't do that. And they shouldn't. The cases are unwinnable.)

Should these people be deported? Have you been to immigration court recently, and seen the backlogs there? You'd prefer to waste government resources deporting those people rather than deporting aliens who have actually committed crimes?

@BigBenzo88

People come here illegally because it is either too expensive or too time consuming to do it the right way.

It is just too easy to cross the border as opposed to doing it the right way. This is the same reason that any law is broken. Enforcement of the law is lax or the penalty isn't stiff enough.

Here's an answer, BigBen:

Because the quotas on legal entry into the US--whether as nonimmigrant workers or as permanent residents--are so low that the laws of economics almost guarantee that there will not be enough labor to fill all the jobs there are.

And, for most foreigners, there is literally no way to obtain an immigrant visa--if you have no employer or immediate family member (a U.S. citizen, generally) to sponsor you, there is no chance at all that you can obtain a visa. Even if you can find an employer sponsor, the waiting periods are long--for skilled workers and professionals (people with university degrees), the waiting period is about six years. For unskilled workers, it's nine years.

Good luck.

"If I was this state worker....I would seek whistleblower status immediately and find the best lawyer I could that would be willing to take my case."

She proved that Utah was only giving benefits to citizens that qualified for them?

These two women were not whistleblowers, at least not in the usual sense. They didn't blow the whistle on the state or on their supervisors or on their coworkers. Instead, they compromised state information and violate privacy laws. Those are crimes and should be punished.

Oh, BTW, left-wing activists are indeed punished when they break the law. The press might be sympathetic toward their law-breaking but most judges aren't.

BigBenzo88 -- INS? You are way behind. INS doesn't exist. It is ICE now. Please get current.

It's a little disturbing to look at these threads and see people defending her actions when they probably should be picketing her home and sending a strong message that Stasi like tactics are not the best thing for our state. Odd, the first few days that I read posts on this subject (in the DesNews) I was surprised to find peoples sympathies lying with the names (many if not most of whom are probably not illegal) on the list. Pregnant mothers ect...Most of the hate filled comments were left on threads of the SL Tribune. Hmmm?
Well, as the days go by the cream rises to the top and the silt moves to the bottom. Those hateful posters on the Trib website are awash in a sea of thumbs down and generally identified as racists. Here--the haters are just getting started it seems.

Whoa Nellie,

"We are talking about criminal activity on behalf of those illegal people whose names are on the list. Why should their information be protected?"

You do realize that they published the info of children who are citizens and have committed no crime, right? Heck, she could conceivably be charged with child endangerment. Let's say there was a large group of people extremely angry at a group you belong to (say, Mormons, for example?), how would you like it if someone sent a list of your children's information sent to them?

For all those who think the employees are whistleblowers:

Since the agency for which they worked was not breaking any laws or violating any policies, the employees who released the list are not whistleblowers.

DUH!

We need to secure the border, deport all illegal aliens who have committed crimes and have an immigration policy that doesn't reward trespassing in the United States. There should be no path to citizenship for those who have broken our laws and their so-called "anchor-baby" children until they go back to their country of origin and come into the USA the proper way. This isn't discrimination against Mexicans (my grandparents were from Mexico)- it is discrimination against law breakers from all foreign countries. America better wake up before it is too late.

Federal sentences do not have parole.
You serve all of the time.
Also look for a civil right lawsuits filed in behalf of the minor legal US citizens.
Hopefully they do not sue the state, or we all will be paying for this ladies crime.
Our state really can not afford it right now.
We need to save our money to defend ourselves in federal lawsuits over guns.

"Of the 1,112 people named on the list who did come from the state database, all lived in a home where a U.S. citizen also lives, Cox said. In most cases, the citizen was the child of illegal-immigrant parents."

I will admit I have not followed this story religiously so I have a question. Did the list show the name, SSN, address of the citizen child of illegal immigrant parents?

"The people on the list from the database had also all applied for welfare programs such as food stamps, Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program. While illegal immigrants cannot receive benefits, the citizens in the family can. The state collects income and other data on all household members to determine eligibility."

So the list consist of personal information of children, correct?