SALT LAKE CITY -- Gov. Gary Herbert will convene a statewide roundtable on immigration reform Tuesday, but the backdrop of the discussion of new immigration-related laws has changed dramatically since he announced the forum early this month.
The international media coverage of the anonymous release last week of a list of about 1,300 purported illegal immigrants living in the state has put Utah in the spotlight on the issue.
"It's like putting kerosene on a fire, " Herbert said Friday. "People are pontificating on both sides of issue."
One of the questions Herbert will put before those attending the forum is the nature and scope of reform legislation.
Paul Mero, president of Utah's Sutherland Institute, a conservative public policy think tank, believes the release of the list, which included private information such as Social Security numbers, addresses, telephone numbers and pregnancy due dates for some of the people listed, has slowed the momentum on possible Utah legislation that might mirror controversial Arizona laws.
"We are a welcoming people. I believe we will succeed in Utah in providing some sense of alterative to this Arizona style of enforcement-only approach," said Mero.
The Arizona legislation, among other things, requires police conducting traffic stops or questioning people about possible violations to ask about immigration status if there is "reasonable suspicion" they are in the country illegally.
"I can tell you, the Latino community as a whole is feeling targeted," said Clarissa Martinez, director of Immigration and National Campaigns, National Council of La Raza.
But State Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, an Orem Republican and leader in one wing of the reform effort, sees the Utah scenario differently than Mero does. He estimates there are more than 100,000 illegal immigrants in Utah.
"I've got calls from people who recognize the list was an unfortunate incident, but tell me not to back down," he said on Friday.
Sandstrom, one of about 30 people invited to the forum, said he has nearly crafted his version of immigration reform but won't release details of it yet. He said he wants to listen to thoughts and concerns that are expressed at the roundtable.
Sandstrom and Clinton lawmaker Rep. Paul Ray traveled to Arizona last month on a fact-finding mission to hear about immigration issues first-hand in a border state.
State Senator Luz Robles, D- Salt Lake, believes other angles on immigration reform and privacy issues may come out as a result of the list release.
"It is up to the Legislature to review what we have in place in statute and how state agencies are handling the information they have," said Robles.
Herbert announced on Friday that a state investigation shows at least two unnamed employees from the Utah Department of Workforce Services may have been involved in the creation of the list using state data.
Attorney General, Mark Shurtleff said he will aggressively investigate the release of the private information.
Bishop John Wester of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City believes the release of the list and follow up outcry points out the overall need for reform.
"This just keeps underscoring the importance of our federal government acting on comprehensive immigration reform," said Wester. "The states are forced to pick up the ball on this."
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