Oregon employers launch immigrant-rights coalition
By David Steves
The Register-Guard
Published: January 23, 2008 07:23AM

SALEM — Restaurants, nurseries and other Oregon employers are jumping into the state’s roiling immigration debate, bringing pro-business credentials to the fight against proposals seen as hostile to foreign-born workers and their families.

The Oregon Essential Worker Immigration Coalition is planning a February launch of its research, public-relations and lobbying efforts — all meant to add the voices of employers to a debate that’s largely pitted illegal-immigration opponents on one side, and Hispanic and immigrant-rights activists on the other.

Jeff Stone, one of the group’s founders, said agriculture, construction, food service, hospitality and other sectors of Oregon’s economy want to give Congress room to fix the federal immigration system. In part, that means fending off state and local laws that would restrict employers’ ability to continue relying on foreign workers, said Stone, who oversees governmental relations for the Oregon Association of Nurseries.

“The problem with the folks who want to see some sort of sensible solution to immigration is that we have not done a very good job articulating that voice — and that’s what we need to change,â€