Here's something that Congressman Chris Cannon knows, but avoids bringing up during an election year: Immigrants, even illegal ones, are good for American business.

Jeffrey Jones, an undersecretary in Mexico's Ministry of Agriculture told students and business leaders in Salt Lake that the U.S. fails to appreciate the positive economic impact of the half a million Mexican workers who cross the border each year. The influx is often painted as detrimental to the U.S., but it really has an overall positive influence on the economy.

Jones' visit coincided with the closing of a La-Z-Boy plant in Tremonton because workers are too difficult to retain in Utah's low-unemployment market. Many of those jobs will go to a Mexican plant. La-Z-Boy spokeswoman Kathy Liebmann told the Standard-Examiner:

When there's a constant need to hire and train new people, it creates inefficiency.

Tremonton Mayor Max Weese told the Standard:

We've got to get some people moving to our part of the state. That's all there is to it.

Maybe he should ask Jones' if he knows where Utah can get an infusion of untrained workers?