Phyllis Sears, head of the Citizens Council on Illegal Immigration, worries that potential reform skips border security, which she sees as needed before other reform measures could work.

"Until you get control of the border you can't do anything else. If you give amnesty, and 20 million more pour in, no thanks," she said.

And Alex Segura, head of the Utah Minuteman Project, questioned how the president could address the status of illegal immigrants without an amnesty.

The president's stand against amnesty was encouraging to Rep. Glenn Donnelson, R-North Ogden, who sponsors a bill to repeal a law allowing some undocumented students pay in-state tuition and other measures. "At least it's encouraging to me that he's going to look at it," Donnelson said.

Members of Utah's congressional delegation who could be reached for comment expressed optimism that this could be the year for immigration reform.

"I welcome this call for comprehensive immigration reform, including a temporary worker program," Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, said in a statement. "I voted for the reform bill last year when it passed the Senate and look forward to a renewed effort to address it this Congress."

U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, who is co-sponsor of an agricultural jobs bill, predicted that Bush would "work with the Democratic Congress on a lot of things and we'll see some pressure we might not have seen in the past on this issue, and interest in the House and Senate."

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who voted against last year's Senate measure, said in a statement that "it's clear we need to address this" through measures such as better tracking of legal immigrants and a reliable system for employers to check the legal status of those they hire.

"But while we are a nation of immigrants, we should not ignore the rule of law," Hatch said. "Amnesty is not an option."

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com