Denver, CO, April 22, 2008 ... The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today decried state Rep. Douglas Bruce's (R-Colorado Springs) comments referring to foreign guest workers as "illiterate peasants" who are unneeded in Colorado. 

Bruce H. DeBoskey, ADL Mountain States Regional Director, issued the following statement:

Rep. Bruce's comments reflect the bigotry and xenophobia that lay just below the surface of the debate on immigration in this country. In a legislative discussion on a pilot program to permit legal temporary agricultural workers in Colorado, Rep. Bruce's comments unmask the ugly nativist sentiments that underlie the arguments of some opponents of immigration.

Rep. Bruce's rhetoric feeds the hateful, dehumanizing hysteria surrounding the presence of foreign workers in our country, encourages demeaning stereotypes of Latino residents and agricultural workers (whether they are here legally or not), and have been rightly condemned by Colorado's legislative leaders of both parties.

ADL calls upon all leaders in Colorado to resist the temptation to play upon xenophobia, stereotypes and bigotry when discussing the important immigration issues that face our state and our nation.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.