As Congress debates the proposed immigration reform bill, opponents of the bill in Utah voiced their concerns to their U.S. senators.

Dan Ettinger, a retired corrections officer living in Rose Park, delivered a petition signed online at grassfire.org by 9,110 Utahns to Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch's office Friday. The petition calls for more protected borders and opposes "any form of amnesty for illegal aliens, including the 'temporary worker' proposal or any proposals that grant legal residency status to citizenship to illegal aliens."

While the delivery of the petition to Hatch's office was uneventful, the petition represents sizable opposition to the bill. The grassroots.org Web site stated that more than 600,000 people overall have signed the petition to date, and that it plans to deliver petitions to the Senate next week.

Ettinger said he wants illegal immigrants held accountable.

"This isn't about race at all ... this is about people coming here that are doing so against the law."

Peter Carr, a spokesman for Hatch, said the senator has not taken an official stand on the proposed immigration reform bill yet. Carr said Hatch is still listening to constituents and business and immigration advocacy leaders while the debate on the bill continues.

However, Carr did acknowledge that "people are very, very upset about this," referring to Utahns who have voiced protest to the immigration reform act.

Larry Shepherd, deputy state director for Republican Sen. Bob Bennett said Bennett is listening to "constituent input" while reviewing the legislation. "Each day the office compiles notes and tallies of comments received for the senator. ... Constituent input is an integral part of the information-gathering process in evaluating every piece of legislation," he said in an e-mail.

"Senator Bennett feels strongly that comprehensive immigration reform is needed to address the national security and economic realities currently facing our country," Shepherd said.

Visible protesters of the proposed immigration reform (and other issues) have been gaining numbers.

Wally McCormick was one of many demonstrators who gathered outside the senators' offices Thursday and met with the senators' representatives Thursday.

"This time was the first time that I feel that they really listened to what we had to say," McCormick said.

McCormick, a co-founder of the Constitution Coalition of Utah, said he has been trying for two years to see Hatch or Bennett.

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E-mail: bcaballero@desnews.com