When it comes to illegal immigration, U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., is the first to admit he "absolutely" has an agenda — ending it.

"We are in a crisis. Our country is at stake," Tancredo told a crowd of about 250 people at Salt Lake Community College Thursday. It was his last appearance in a Utah visit that also included Orem and St. George and was part of a multi-state tour that he hopes will "fan the fire" against illegal immigration.

He's a staunch critic of what he calls lax immigration enforcement and of President Bush's proposed immigration reform policy, which would give illegal immigrants a way to earn temporary legal status.

Instead, Tancredo is pushing his own immigration proposal that doesn't include any form of amnesty for the estimated 11 million people living in the United States illegally.

Tancredo was greeted with eager applause at events in Utah County, St. George and Salt Lake City, as he praised "vigilant" citizen groups, such as Utahns for Immigration Reform and Enforcement, which sponsored his visit, and the Minuteman Project.

While some of his appearances have spawned protests, Tancredo's Utah appearances were quiet.

He used the appearances to rail against political leaders he said will "do nothing" about the alleged problems caused by illegal immigrants. He criticized so-called "sanctuary" policies held by several cities across the country, including Salt Lake City, and called for Utah to repeal its driving privilege cards for illegal immigrants, which he dubbed "driver license light."

"You don't want to make it easy for (illegal immigrants) to be in this country, " he said. "You don't want to be a magnet."

Tancredo believes the solution is simple: Start punishing employers who hire illegal immigrants, and they'll stop hiring them. Then, the illegal immigrants will leave.

To those who call his plan too harsh, Tancredo, says any form of amnesty would be "incredibly harsh to anyone who has done it the right way and waiting to do it the right way."

While most in the audiences interrupted the congressman with applause and cheers, a few audience members didn't join in.

Salt Lake Community College student Brandon Harris said the question and answer segment ended before he could ask why Tancredo focused so much on Mexico, when illegal immigrants come from all over the world.

"He missed a lot of it," Harris said. "We don't need to build a wall. That would show we're a stubborn and arrogant country . . . Our country is immigrants."

Earlier Thursday, Tancredo spoke to a full house in St. George, where Phyllis Sears, president of the Citizens Council on Illegal Immigration, said she admires Tancredo's stance on what has become a growing national issue.