I've hesitated to comment on the list of some 1300 alleged illegal immigrants that was circulated in Utah, because I had as many questions about it as I did answers. But as a bit more information has emerged, a couple of thoughts have formed about it that I'd like to share.

• I'm concerned about how this information was obtained. The New York Times offers one scenario that I find troubling -- namely that the information was culled from state records that are, by law, confidential. If that is the case, then I have grave concerns about the illegal release of information. Indeed, I agree with the governor of Utah in this regard.

  “Any release of private information of this nature, especially the depth and breadth of it, is concerning,” Ms. Welling said. “The governor wants to be sure that a state agency wasn’t involved, and if it was, to make sure it doesn’t happen again, and to get to the bottom of who was responsible."

• However, it appears that some of these records indicate that government agencies are facilitating these immigration violations -- for example, since it appears that at least some of the information may have come from the State Department of Workforce Services, it appears that the state might be assisting individuals ineligible for employment in this country in illegally finding employment. Set aside that we are in the middle of the Mr. Obama's Recession and that this would mean that American citizens and aliens legally in this country might have been aced out of jobs by illegal aliens assisted in their job search by the state -- why is it that lawbreakers voluntarily disclosing information about their lack of legal immigration status to state officials are not reported to the federal government for removal from the country?

• It appears that a number of the individuals on the list may be receiving government benefits of some sort. Why are they eligible for benefits if their very presence in the country is a violation of American law? And if they are receiving the benefits illegally, will Utah (or the federal government) take actions to recoup the benefits illegally obtained and prosecute the lawbreakers?

Of course, the article does indirectly make a point that many of us who wish to see our nation's borders secured and immigration laws enforced -- if the social and legal climate of the country is changed to make it uncomfortable for illegals to be in the country, they will self-deport.

Several people on the list expressed anxiety that their personal information had been released, and said they were concerned about their safety and that of their families. Some of those on the list said the heightened pressure could force them from the country.

One Guatemalan man, who spoke only on condition that he be identified as Monzon, admitted that he was in the country illegally.

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But he struck a fatalistic note that might please the letter writers: “It might just be time to reflect and think if the time has come to leave,” he said.

Even if one accepts as a given that the information on that list was illegally obtained and agrees that those responsible for its dissemination therefore should and ought to face criminal sanctions, it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that coddling and compassion for Illegal aliens facilitates their illegal presence in this country and that a change in policy and practice is a necessary step to gaining control of the out-of-control immigration situation. Once we've done that, the time will be here for discussing necessary changes to our laws regarding who can come to the United States legally and how many such individuals will be admitted each year.