ST. GEORGE — A citizens group's efforts to bring attention to the problem of illegal immigration in Utah's Dixie are generating fear among the local Hispanic community.

"This group is not going to stop illegal immigration. What they are creating is the simple, racist feeling that it's them against the (Hispanic) community," said Juan Polo, a naturalized American citizen from Colombia and a member of Hispanic Unidos, a St. George-based advocacy group for the local Hispanic community.

Phyllis Sears, who chairs the newly formed Citizens Council on Illegal Immigration, strongly disagrees.

"This has nothing to do with race, ethnicity, nationality or country. It has to do with the legality and illegality of immigrants," said Sears at the group's December meeting, held in the Washington County commission chambers. "Employment is the magnet that is creating the problem."

Each of the eight panel members is assigned to a committee with a specific title, such as community affairs, employment, American culture and law enforcement. The group hopes to publish a newsletter and create a registry that identifies area businesses that do not hire illegal immigrants, said Julian Wright, chairman of the employment committee.

"We intend for our newsletter to go out to all 4,000 businesses in the county. We want them to know it's important, that it isn't junk mail," said Wright as he reviewed contents of the newsletter's first draft with the group. The draft included the group's governing principles, information about federal immigration laws and a toll-free number to verify Social Security numbers.

"Employers need to be forewarned about hiring illegal aliens," said Wright, a California transplant to St. George. "People should also be alert for hiring centers for laborers. If you see people standing around on corners and getting hired, they could be illegals," said Wright. "I'm not aware of it happening here like it does in San Francisco, but we can't afford to let it get a foothold."

Carol Sapp, executive director of the Southern Utah Home Builders Association, said she worries about the group's methods.

"You're treading on thin ice when you start identifying all Hispanics as illegals," she said. "I know there are illegal immigrants out there, but when our borders are wide open you're not going to fix the problem on a local basis."

Sapp said the citizens group is oversimplifying a complicated problem.

"What they're doing is burning up a lot of energy and causing bad feelings in the community," she said. "It makes me uncomfortable. I just see it fraught with liability."