Former Republican congressional candidate Kevin Mannix was put on the hot seat at the offices of Willamette Week Wednesday when editors began to question Mannix about the possibility that U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) committed a crime when his company hired undocumented workers.

Mannix was there touting Measure 40, a ballot measure that serves to create mandatory minimum prison terms for certain crimes. But the discussion quickly turned to Smith, whose factory, Smith Frozen Foods, came under scrutiny recently after the Willamette Week published two articles accusing the Weston-based factory of employing undocumented workers.

“I'm going to be real careful about this,” Mannix said. “My view is every business in this state should be subjected to scrutiny about following the law. “

Mannix was quick to point out that Smith is not allowed to run the business (his wife is the CEO of Smith Frozen Foods), but he also did not move to defend Smith, his family, or their business practices.

“I accept his representation,” Mannix said. “He has told the people as best he can to do everything they can to comply with the law. I accept that. Having accepted that, that doesn't mean we don't go beyond that and say we're still going to look at compliance and insist that there be compliance."

Mannix also warned that issue of how to handle undocumented workers and illegal immigrants was a very contentious one because Washington, D.C. lawmakers have yet to come up with a comprehensive solution.

“Across the board, we need to be very careful how we approach the issue of illegal immigration,” Mannix said. “It has not been resolved at the federal level. It’s out there as a searing issue that needs to be addressed.”