Thread: Illegal Immigrants Run Oregon Senator’s Business

Illegal Immigrants Run Oregon Senator’s Business
Thu, 09/11/2008 - 14:45 — Judicial Watch Blog


A Republican U.S. Senator who serves on five major committees and regularly speaks out against illegal immigration owns a lucrative produce business that mostly employs illegal immigrants.

While Oregon Senator Gordon Smith publicly chastises illegal immigrants (he proudly voted against amnesty for millions living in the U.S.) for benefiting from government services that American citizens provide, he has for decades benefited from their cheap labor.

A news magazine in the senator’s home state has published an in-depth story with incriminating details that paint the portrait of a hypocrite politician who says one thing and does the opposite. And as the good senator, who is up for reelection this year, knows well it’s a violation of federal law to hire illegal immigrants.

Yet for decades the lawmaker’s highly profitable business, Smith Frozen Foods, has done just that. Located in the tiny eastern Oregon town of Weston, the company has nearly 500 employees, the majority of them from Mexico and some from Guatemala and El Salvador. The company refuses to use a federal database to check workers’ immigration status because “it doesn’t work very well.â€

Oregon Senator Gordon Smith

D.C. and State Offices

Bend, OR Office
Jamison Building
131 NW Hawthorne Avenue, Suite 208
Bend, OR 97701
Phone: 541.318.1298
Fax: 541.318.1396

Medford, OR Office
Security Plaza
1175 East Main, Suite 2D
Medford, OR 97504
Phone: 541.608.9102
Fax: 541.608.9104


Washington, DC Office
404 Russell Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202.224.3753
Fax: 202.228.3997

Portland, OR Office
One World Trade Center
121 SW Salmon Street, Suite 1250
Portland, OR 97204
Phone: 503.326.3386
Fax: 503.326.2900

Pendleton, OR Office
Jager Building
116 South Main Street, Suite 3
Pendleton, OR 97801
Phone: 541.278.1129
Fax: 541.278.4109

Eugene, OR Office
Wayne Morse Federal Courthouse
405 East 8th Avenue
Eugene, OR 97401
Phone: 541.465.6750
Fax: 541.465.6808

email:
http://gsmith.senate.gov/public/index.c ... ntact.Home

What a scumbucket! If this is true, he should lose his business, his office and jailed! The illegal aliens should be deported.

Senator Smith's entire office staff

John_Easton@Smith.senate.gov; Rob_Epplin@Smith.senate.gov; Catherine_Finley@Smith.senate.gov; Kara_Getz@Smith.senate.gov; Lindsay_Gilbride@Smith.senate.gov; Matt_Hill@Smith.senate.gov; Sue_Keenom@Smith.senate.gov; Esther_Kennedy@GSmith.Senate.Gov; Dan_Knezevic@Smith.senate.gov; Chris_Ornelas@Smith.senate.gov; Andrew_Peek@Smith.senate.gov; Lori_Prater@Smith.senate.gov; Jeffrey_Renner@GSmith.Senate.Gov; Gary_Schmidt@GSmith.Senate.Gov; Beth_Stewart@gSmith.senate.gov; Jacob_Triolo@GSmith.Senate.Gov; Kerry_Tymchuk@GSmith.Senate.Gov; Jason_Vaillancourt@GSmith.Senate.Gov; Valerie_West@Smith.senate.gov

I sent them a nice message.

Just where is ICE ? has ANYONE in Oregon turned Smith foods into ICE ? i wonder. I think we all need to send ICE alittle e-mail so they know we are onto this...we also should send it to Lou and Glenn...I willl do that right now!!

To: Valerie_West@Smith.senate.gov; Jason_Vaillancourt@GSmith.Senate.Gov; Kerry_Tymchuk@GSmith.Senate.Gov; Jacob_Triolo@GSmith.Senate.Gov; Beth_Stewart@gSmith.senate.gov; Gary_Schmidt@GSmith.Senate.Gov; Jeffrey_Renner@GSmith.Senate.Gov; Lori_Prater@Smith.senate.gov; Andrew_Peek@Smith.senate.gov; Chris_Ornelas@Smith.senate.gov; Dan_Knezevic@Smith.senate.gov; Esther_Kennedy@GSmith.Senate.Gov; Sue_Keenom@Smith.senate.gov; Matt_Hill@Smith.senate.gov; Lindsay_Gilbride@Smith.senate.gov; Kara_Getz@Smith.senate.gov; Catherine_Finley@Smith.senate.gov; Rob_Epplin@Smith.senate.gov; John_Easton@Smith.senate.gov
Subject: Smith hires illegals!!! We are calling you out!!!
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2008 9:32 pm

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We challenge Gordon Smith to publicly run all of his employees, with their SS numbers, through E-Verify, amd let's see who is right.

My money is on WW.

Senator Smith, we are calling you out!!!

Raid!

I WOULD LOVE TO FIND OUT IF NANCY PELOSI HIRES ILLEGALS, SINCE SHE PROTECTS THEM SO AGRESSIVELY. HER AND HER HUSBAND OWN A VINEYARD IN NAPA, CALIFORNIA.

Illegal worker issue becomes issue in race for U.S. Senate
Merkley challenges Smith about staff at his food plant
The Associated Press

September 12, 2008
PORTLAND — The status of workers at U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith's frozen-food plant has emerged as an issue in the Senate campaign, with incumbent Smith denouncing a report suggesting it uses illegal immigrant labor and challenger Jeff Merkley prodding Smith to provide documents and public access.


Smith says he told his firm, Weston-based Smith Frozen Foods, to "go the extra mile" in ensuring that its work force is legal.

But the Willamette Week newspaper reported Wednesday that it has found "ample evidence" to suggest that the hiring of illegal workers there is routine.

The story offered no proof but quoted several workers and others who said illegal immigrants worked there and said a local accountant prepared tax returns for undocumented workers at the plant.

Smith called the article a "smear piece" based on "innuendo, supposition and racial profiling" and said the firm has never been fined for knowingly hiring an undocumented worker. He said the article was intended to "advance a left-wing agenda."

His Democratic opponent, Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley, said the article raised "serious issues" and that Smith should "disclose all company records" and provide media and public access to the plant.

In 2006, Smith told The Oregonian that his company had been "diligent" in dismissing workers who were found to have fraudulent documentation.

Under Senate rules, Smith cannot serve as an executive or board member of the company. He has turned over its operation to his wife and a professional management team but said he understands the plant faces heightened scrutiny because of his position.

On Wednesday, critics of illegal immigration said the company should have used the federal government's voluntary E-Verify system that quickly checks the validity of Social Security numbers and other documentation.

"I obviously think Senator Smith should sign up for E-Verify," said Jim Ludwick, the president of Oregonians for Immigration Reform. "As a U.S. senator, he should be above reproach."

Ludwick said Smith could be risking the support of his Republican base.

However, Smith and his firm's president, Kelly Brown, said E-Verify misses many types of fraud and can produce erroneous results.

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pb ... /1001/NEWS

Smith called the article a "smear piece" based on "innuendo, supposition and racial profiling" and said the firm has never been fined for knowingly hiring an undocumented worker. He said the article was intended to "advance a left-wing agenda."

Very few companies have been "fined" in the last 20 years.