Anti-Immigrant NumbersUSA Makes Anti-LEGAL Immigrant Ad Buy in South Carolina

[pampango]

As many opponents of immigration reform work hard to make clear, they are against "illegal" immigration (because “illegal is illegal”) and claim they don’t have any beef with people who come here through sanctioned means.

Anti-immigration group and John Tanton organization NumbersUSA is in the middle of a $100,000+ ad buy in South Carolina, attempting to call attention to the “problem” of legal immigration before the Jan. 21 primary.

“Jobs, jobs, jobs,” intones their odious new ad. “Everybody talks about creating jobs, but who will get the jobs? Not one candidate is talking about why the government is ready to bring in another 1 million legal immigrants this year to take American jobs. Legal doesn't make it right when there are millions of jobless Americans. Ask the candidates who should get new American jobs, unemployed Americans or will they bring in another million immigrants?”

Ok. There are at least a few problems with this ad. ... The NumbersUSA ad paints immigrants as sneaky, pernicious, economy-undermining jobs-stealers. Nowhere is it mentioned that immigrants also create jobs.

We understand that anti-immigrant rhetoric is practically a national tradition, with documented movements against Catholics, Germans, Italians, the Irish, and the Chinese. However, that didn’t stop any of those groups from assimilating, learning the American way, and becoming established and accepted here in the U.S. As even Mitt Romney has said, “we are a nation of immigrants.” Immigration is the only reason the vast majority of us are even here, which means that attacking legal immigration is, actually, un-American.

http://americasvoiceonline.org/blog/entry/anti-immigrant_numbersusa_makes_100k_ad_buy_in_south_carolina/

So much for "We're not against immigration, just against illegal immigration." For teabaggers and others, it is probably not much of a leap from opposing illegal immigration to going after legal immigration as well. (It's 'us' vs 'them' either way.) The latter look just like the former (and represent competition in the same - if less exploitable - manner), other than a document that says they have a right to compete in the US.

We've had ads like these in Ohio for many months. Numbers USA must be targeting primary states now, too. I don't know that any of the repub candidates are proposing to reduce legal immigration so I'm not sure who benefits from these ads.

[sabrina 1]

1. Someone should tell them, immigration is down

to the US. For a lot of reasons. They can relax, fewer and fewer people want to come to their country.

[Snake Alchemist]

2. They are talking about white-collar jobs though so they may get some support. nt

[pampango]

3. You may be right. Guess that explains why there's no NumbersCanada.

That's the kind of immigrants they want to attract.