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Senator praised for support of a guest-worker program

August 21, 2006

Two of Oregon's largest agricultural groups are thanking U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith for his support of immigration reform, including a guest-worker program, in a radio advertising spot.

The Oregon Association of Nurseries and Oregon Farm Bureau Federation are sponsoring the ads, which are scheduled to start running today.

"Without their hard work, many family farms could not survive," the ad says of Mexican workers. It advocates stopping illegal immigration while giving farmers a means to hire legal workers from Mexico.

Jeff Stone, the government-relations director for the Oregon Association of Nurseries, said the group decided to sponsor the ad campaign to counter the "vitriol" heard on talk radio. The ads will run during drive time in the morning on KXL, KUIK, KPAM and other stations.

Smith has supported a guest-worker program for farm workers that would allow them to work in this country and then return to Mexico. The senator has not supported a guest-worker program as a path to U.S. citizenship, said a spokesman for Smith's office.

"There is a lot more heat than light around this issue lately," said Dave Dillon, the executive director of the Oregon Farm Bureau. The farm bureau appreciates Smith's efforts for a comprehensive solution to immigration problems, Dillon said.

-- Michael Rose