Utah as an image problem.

For far too long, our state has been viewed as a backwater hole where religious fundamentalism and the problems associated with it rule the day. As a native Utahn, I know that this is not the case, and I don’t know how many times I have heard visitors confide in me that they changed their views of our beautiful state and its people after visiting.

Indeed, the state saw this issue as well, and has poured millions of dollars into tourism advertising to encourage people to give Utah a try. Progress, I feel, was being made to show people that Utah is a wonderful place to play. As perception grew, so to would people wishing to stay – from there they set up businesses and create jobs. In short, the state knew that changing the perception of Utah was vital to its economic growth.

And then a rouge group of state workers compile the names of some 1,300 people who they believe to be in this country illegally.

Arizona’s immigration law has gone a long way in harming its reputation, but, at the very least, it was done in the open, in public, by lawmakers that will be held accountable to the citizens come November. This, however, was done by bureaucrats who abused their power and violated the public’s trust. To compound the horrendous PR nightmare, the Governor seems unable to say that the list is, in and of itself, a bad thing – only that it was wrong for workers to use records that way.

Immigration is an inherently thorny issue because, unlike most crimes, the only major complaint victims have is that perpetrators are trying to improve their lives. Yes, it is called illegal immigration, but the very nature of the crime stems from the American ideal of trying to work hard to improve your life and the life of your family. Furthermore, solutions that are even remotely humane require an exceptional amount of resources and time. Finally, most people realize our despicable past when it comes to race and minorities and will do all they can to make sure we stick to the ideals that all men (not just citizens) are created equal.

The ramifications of this list will be both immediate and long lasting.  Not only does it take one of those 13,000 people to sue the state for a possible defamation lawsuit to open up Pandora’s box, but this process only drags out the pain and perception our state will receive from the world. Because of the actions of a handful of individuals, Utah could be perceived as a state where vigilante justice rules and where lists of individuals are compiled in a manor similar to McCarthy style witch hunts.

The irony, of course, is that the individuals who put the now infamous list together honestly felt that they were improving our state.