Earlier Thursday, Tancredo spoke to a full house in St. George, where Phyllis Sears, president of the Citizens Council on Illegal Immigration, said she admires Tancredo's stance on what has become a growing national issue.

"He's committed to raising the public awareness of the devastating impact of our open border problem," she said.

One man who attended Thursday's gathering at the Holiday Inn said he was disappointed in the way Tancredo spoke about immigrants in general.

"When he spoke about illegal immigrants, he talked only about the Mexican people," said Carlos Chavez. "It was the Mexicans do this, the Mexicans do that, they take away American jobs. There are many people coming to the United States from other countries, not just Mexico.

Tancredo is considering a run for president, and is chairman of the Immigration Reform Caucus, which has about 90 members. Immigration is expected to be a key issue when Congress convenes after Labor Day.

"I think we're going to see one hell of a battle," Tancredo said. "I don't know what the outcome is going to be."

---

E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com; nperkins@desnews.com