Federal agents are working to secure the nation's borders, but lawmakers also have a role to play in curbing the tide of undocumented immigrants, says Asa Hutchinson, U.S. undersecretary for border and transportation security.

Speaking to the National Conference of State Legislatures on Thursday, Hutchinson said national reform to immigration laws is needed, as well as state cooperation with federal enforcement efforts.

"No matter what we do on the enforcement side, as long as there's a demand in the U.S. for workers . . . people are going to try and get here," he said.

One key question raised: What about drivers' licenses? In general, Hutchinson said immigrants can obtain drivers' licenses with valid visas, then renew them indefinitely after the visas expire.

"Some of the Sept. 11 terrorists did have drivers' licenses," he said. "We're asking for your leadership in improving the integrity" of the system. Utah is one of a handful of states that allows undocumented workers to obtain drivers' licenses.

Hutchinson noted that 40 percent of the nation's estimated 8 million undocumented residents are visitors who overstayed their visas.

For now, drivers' licenses are in states' hands, but Hutchinson said if the security risk becomes too great in the future, there could be more federal intervention. He said fingerprinting people when they get their drivers' licenses is a sure way to verify a person's identity but raises substantial privacy concerns. Another possibility: tie expiration of drivers' licenses to visa expiration.

Hutchinson said a new system in use at airports and border checkpoints provides a way to verify a person's identity and check that identity against a list of suspected terrorists and criminals. By the end of the year, the technology will also be used to scan a visa when a person exits the country.

A similar check performed by law enforcement officers at traffic stops has led to the arrest of 3,310 previously deported felons and absconders in 2003 and more than 4,000 so far this year, he said.

Hutchinson said reforms such as President Bush's proposal to match farm workers with employees with temporary visas will help "bring out of the shadows" millions of undocumented immigrants, lessening the security risk.

Security isn't the only reason for immigration reform that was raised at the meeting. Charity Wilson of the AFL-CIO said workers tend to exploit illegal immigrants, which drives down the wages for native workers as well.

The AFL-CIO estimates 11 million to 13 million undocumented immigrants are in this country, most working low-wage, low-skill jobs alongside native workers, Wilson said. She said legalizing these immigrants would create a more stable work force, improve working conditions and boost wages.

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com