Statement from Governor Gregoire Regarding Immigration Reform Efforts

For Immediate Release: April 26, 2006

�I strongly support comprehensive, common sense immigration reform because Washington is acutely impacted by flaws in our current immigration and border security policies.

�First and foremost, Washington is a border state and we are dedicated to keeping our citizens secure. We need a committed partner in the federal government to strengthen the security of all of our nation�s borders. We need tough enforcement through fully staffed border stations, with well-trained border officials who are equipped with the tools necessary to protect us from anyone who may enter our country to do us harm.

�Our economy lives and breathes through agriculture, an industry in which at least 60 percent of the workforce is immigrant labor. Our growers need to know that there will be workers available to pick the crops when the time is right. A modernized and efficient guest worker program is an appropriate tool to ensure the availability of farm labor. This is why I support the federal AgJOBS bill, which will provide reliable access to labor and at the same time protect guest workers from labor abuses.

�I am also in favor of an opportunity for earned legalization. This is not blanket amnesty but it is fair to those who have built a life here, raised their U.S. citizen children here and contributed to the quality of life in Washington.

�We must work to address our relationship with Mexico, one of Washington�s most important trade partners. Working together, we can combat cross-border drug trafficking and human smuggling, and strive to provide economic opportunities on both sides of the border.�

###