"If he (Jacob) had done something inappropriate in hiring those people, he should pay the price for that, but politically, I support him," Segura said. "He should be in that congressional seat. His opponent (Cannon) has a lot of baggage."

Segura pointed to 2004, when one of Cannon's aides, on Spanish-language radio, encouraged illegal immigrants to contribute to his campaign by funneling the money through U.S. citizens. Cannon later clarified illegal immigrants can't contribute.

Yapias said he can't blame Jacob for trying to help the family but said it's hypocritical for Jacob to campaign on a hard-line stand against illegal immigration while he's using a legal loophole to find a way to pay immigrants without work eligibility.

"He's the one who is running for office on an issue many people are going to vote on," Yapias said. "He has created some doubt in voters' minds. His integrity has been questioned."

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Editor's note: Joe Cannon, the brother of Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Deseret Morning News.

E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com