Racism, job and housing discrimination, learning a new language and culture and finding a peer group are just a few of the issues newcomers to the country face, and they were all addressed to some degree at a panel discussion Sunday hosted by state's Martin Luther King Human Rights Commission.

That's a lot to bite off in the course of two hours, to be sure, but the commission's program manager, Michael Styles, and commission member Ara Serjoie managed to put together a group well-versed in immigration issues, including state officials and natives of countries as far away as Africa and Eastern Europe, as well as people desiring radical changes in immigration law.

Styles urged members of the panel and audience to stay positive, something that would prove increasingly difficult for most throughout the discussion, noting that the goal of talks like the one Sunday are designed to find solutions, not just pick at problems.

"We can agree to disagree, but we need to find common ground," Styles said.

Common ground was hard to find as the panelists, and the audience members who questioned them, delved into the minutiae of complex, immigration-related issues.

How do we resolve workplace tension between Bosnian and Latino immigrants? How do we help the Sudanese refugee who finds a place to live, but isn't allowed to rent it? How do children of undocumented immigrants succeed in Utah's public schools, and how do the schools keep up with federal requirements of the No Child Left Behind legislation while teaching kids who speak different languages? These were just a few of the areas addressed, and there were no clear answers.

Utah State Director of Hispanic Affairs Tony Yapias recalled that when he came to America at age 14, it took him two years to learn English well enough to feel comfortable, and he noted that even with young children who tend to pick up new languages faster, it takes about 18 months to learn. Keeping up with the No Child Left Behind requirements is difficult for schools who rely on "passing" for funding. Trying to teach kids speaking different languages in the same classes make it even more so, he said.

Amadou Niang, a career educator and a native of Mali, added that many states are moving toward English-only at the same time they have to deal with No Child Left Behind, a double whammy of sorts.

"It's very tough to reconcile those two concepts," Niang said.

Russell Sias, who described himself as an average, retired citizen, said he supported streamlining the legal immigration process to make it easier to get into the country, but argued that people in America illegally, and their children, should not enjoy the benefits of native and naturalized citizens. That rubbed some of Sias' fellow panelists the wrong way, but found support among the audience of about two dozen.

"The immigrants are here now," said Elena Bensor of the state's labor commission, who works on fair housing and discrimination issues. "To deny them access to services would only make the problem worse."

Styles said he hoped the discussion will provide networking chances among people concerned with immigration issues, even if they don't totally agree. The stakes are high enough that every step towards bridging differences helps.

"Immigration is a very emotional issue," Yapias said. "It can break families and friends."