By Alan Gomez, USA TODAY The Utah Legislature passed a pair of immigration bills aimed at striking a balance between people who want to deport all illegal immigrants and those who want to integrate them into American society.

Much as Arizona discovered after passing an immigration enforcement law last year, Utah's road toward immigration changes will probably go through the courts.

Advocates on both sides of the debate indicated Monday that lawsuits could soon be on the way to halt both bills.

"I think things are going to go crazy on this," Republican state Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, who sponsored the enforcement bill, said of possible legal challenges.

The other bill passed late Friday would allow the state to grant work permits to illegal immigrants who undergo a criminal background check, pay fines of up to $2,500 and learn English. The bill would require Gov. Gary Herbert, a Republican, to seek a federal waiver, since immigration law makes it a crime to knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

The bills go to Herbert for his decision. The governor's office did not return calls seeking comment Monday.

The work-permit bill contains a legal analysis that acknowledges a "high probability" that a court would rule portions of it unconstitutional because it would infringe on federal powers.

Roy Beck, executive director of NumbersUSA, which advocates for lower levels of legal and illegal immigration, said a lawsuit would come if the state tries to move forward with the proposal.

"This is about running their own immigration system," Beck said. "It's not going anywhere."The bill's sponsor, GOP state Rep. Bill Wright, said the measure is more an attempt to get officials in Washington to work with states on immigration.

"This isn't about a conflict between our state and the federal government," Wright said. "It is our hope that this may be a platform to discuss solutions."

Sandstrom's bill was based on the Arizona enforcement law that is on hold after the Department of Justice sued, claiming it interfered with the federal government's exclusive power to enforce immigration laws.

Arizona's law, known as SB 1070, required the state's police officers to determine the immigration status of people if a "reasonable suspicion" existed that the person was in the country illegally.

Sandstrom's version would make that requirement an option for officers who have stopped or detained people believed to have committed a felony or serious misdemeanor.

Sandstrom said he was forced to remove some of the harsher aspects of the bill to win passage, but he said it maintains the intent of Arizona's immigration law of giving police the ability to assist in immigration enforcement.

Lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union were reviewing the bill Monday but said they are considering filing a lawsuit to halt the bill.

"I think we shouldn't be fooled here, that this is a kinder, gentler version of 1070," said Karen McCreary, executive director of the ACLU of Utah.

Wesley Smith , director of public policy for the Salt Lake Chamber, which represents 6,100 Utah businesses, said lawsuits coming from both sides of the immigration debate are a sign that Utah is moving in the right direction.

"It's probably a good sign to be right in the middle there," Smith said. "To me, it's an indication of the pragmatism that is our comprehensive solution."

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