The candidates who said they oppose amnesty were Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and LaVar Christensen, a Republican state representative vying for Matheson's seat.

Democrat Pete Ashdown, who is opposing Hatch, said he opposes moving illegal immigrants to the front of the legal immigration line and said he opposes amnesty for businesses who hire illegal immigrants.

In addition to secure borders and coast, Ashdown sees a need to "streamline legal immigration and set limits based on worker demand and student vacancy."

Hatch said illegal immigrants should return to their home country before seeking citizenship. Hatch added employment verification is also needed, saying "we need to develop a better way to track individuals who enter this country legally, provide employers with a reliable system to check the citizenship of those they hire, and establish a guest-worker program with a biometric identification that cannot be duplicated or counterfeited and that would require workers to return to their home country when their job is complete."

Burridge and Ashdown also cited a need for a database employers can use to verify new hires' legal status.

Such an Internet-based program does exist, but it's optional. The program, called "Basic Pilot," is operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. In Utah, 102 companies with 319 sites participate.

Burridge suggested "strong economic disincentives to the companies who engage in illegal hiring practices."

Bishop praised the House votes on border security, adding: "We must end the useless catch-and-release policy. We must reform our current immigration system of legal immigration to make it less cumbersome for those coming for the right reasons and tougher on those coming for the wrong reasons."

Democrat Steve Olsen, who is challenging Bishop, said he supports a plan for immigration reform developed by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, and endorsed by the Western Governor's Association. That plan calls for enhanced border security and a temporary guest worker program.

Like Bishop, Matheson praised the House votes on get-tough measures. His opponent, Christensen, pointed to national security, saying 40 percent of illegal immigrants arrived since Sept. 11, 2001, "which clearly contradicts our increased Homeland Security efforts."

The Pew Hispanic Center estimated that the undocumented population was at 8.4 million in 2000. The center also estimated that in 2005, two-thirds of illegal immigrants had been in the country 10 years or less, and about 40 percent had been in the country five years or less.

"Employers must respect and enforce the law, and local law enforcement must have full authority to enforce Federal Immigration Laws when they discover illegal entry into this country," Christensen said.

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com