The Utah Listgate probe discovered that two employees of the Utah Department of Workforce Services were involved. They leaked a list of some 1,300 illegal immigrants, providing detailed, personal information on each. A letter which accompanied the list demanded the illegals be arrested and deported immediately. But was that the state workers true purpose?

LOS ANGELES - DECEMBER 19: A man points while Latino activists protest recent immigration raids across the country at a demonstration and news conference in front of the downtown Federal Building December 19, 2006 in Los Angeles, California. The largest immigration search ever against a single company resulted in the arrest of more than 1,280 workers in a series of raids at six Swift & Co. meatpacking plants on December 12. Other raids were held in Colorado, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and Texas. Protesters complained, just days before Christmas, of families being separated as undocumented workers are deported, sometimes with no one to care for their children in the U.S. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)


The State of Utah agency fired the one who was a temporary employee and served the other an “intent to terminate employment” notice. Both are accused of sending the list of 1,300 illegal immigrants to various media and law enforcement offices. The state attorney general is now considering possible legal action against the two for leaking the information.

Utah Governor Gary Herbert told reporters that one of the two has already confessed as to their involvement in the leak. The identities of the two have yet to be made public. The governor also added that the leaked list has damaged pending legislation in Utah to pass an immigration reform bill similar to Arizona’s, often referred to as SB 1070.

Which brings us to the $64,000 question. What was the intention of these two state employees? Did they leak this list because they truly wanted to ‘out’ illegal immigrants? Or, did they do this in order to derail Utah copying the Arizona law?

Thus, we have not heard the last of the Utah Listgate scandal. Until the two state employees responsible go public and we learn of the reasons for doing this, we will not know all the facts.