A new voice has entered Utah's crowded immigration debate.

St. George resident Vic Shade is founding a southern Utah chapter of the Arizona-based Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, which opposes illegal immigration.

The group is widely known for its civilian border patrols, which report illegal immigrants to authorities, and a separate effort to build fencing on private property along the U.S.-Mexico border.

However, Shade describes the organization as "multi-faceted," also focusing on local and state issues involving illegal immigration as well.

"We found there are internal needs in the country," Shade said. "We have the problems of illegal immigration to deal with in our community."

Chris Simcox, president of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, said there are now more than 60 local chapters working on issues such as penalizing landlords who rent to illegal immigrants. Such a ban passed first in Hazleton, Pa., where it is facing a court challenge.

"Every town across the country is being affected by this," he said. "People are fed up waiting on the federal government. They're taking the battle to local governments."

In Utah, there are several groups on both sides of the immigration debate, raising awareness and lobbying policymakers. The Citizens Council on Illegal Immigration has more than 80 members in Washington County.

Phyllis Sears, who leads the group, said she doesn't know enough about the new group to form an opinion on it. Nor does Alex Segura, director of the Utah Minuteman Project, which is an independent organization active along the Wasatch Front, and not affiliated with the Arizona group.

"I really don't know what they can bring to the table," Segura said. "They don't know the situation, they don't know the sentiment of the people, they don't know the sentiment of businesses."

On the other side of the debate, Michael Clara, co-chairman of the Utah Hispanic Legislative Task Force, says he's not worried about the addition of another voice of opposition.

"Utahns left to their own are understanding of the economic situation that entices people to come here from Mexico," said Clara. "A lot of these groups that take these extreme positions are coming in from California, Arizona and other states."

However, Shade said it would be helpful in Utah to have a national voice opposed to illegal immigration, along with the local groups. So far, he says, more than 20 people have signed up.

"I think we're all in it for the same thing," Simcox said. "We have a bit more of a polished approached and plan for dealing with lawmakers and local governments."

Questions have arisen about the finances of the nonprofit Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, leading some members to quit, the Associated Press has reported. Last month, the group released financial records to answer questions about how it spends contributions, but the AP reported some former Texas members still weren't sure about the finances.

Simcox described the group's audit and federal 990 form for 2005 as "perfect."

"There never was a problem with our financing," he said. "It was a few people writing articles with bad information."

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com