On Tuesday, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s political action group, FWD.us, launched a new ad backing the immigration bill pushed by the so-called Senate “Gang of 8.” FWD.us is utilizing an offshoot to push the ad – an offshoot disarmingly titled Americans for a Conservative Direction. Politico reports that Americans for a Conservative Direction will drop over $1 million to push the ad in states including Texas, Florida, Iowa, and Kentucky.
Zuckerberg’s group includes Republicans known to be soft on border control, like former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour (who also has chaired the Republican National Committee); Sally Bradshaw, chief of staff to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush; Joel Kaplan, Deputy Chief of Staff to former President George W. Bush; and Rob Jesmer, former Executive Director at the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 2008-2012.
The ad itself is a paean to the immigration bill, and contains the falsehood that the bill establishes border security first. It leads off with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) talking about how America has “de facto amnesty,” then follows with a quote from McClatchy news service: “TOUGHEST IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT MEASURES IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES.” Then quote from the Washington Post: “BORDER SECURITY ON STEROIDS … TOUGH BORDER TRIGGERS.” From CNN: “TOUGH LINE ON IMMIGRATION.” The ad is almost identical to an ad currently running from the American Action Network, run by Douglas Holtz-Eakin, former Congressional Budget Office director.
Except that the bill does not achieve a tough line on immigration. Its measures of border security remain unclear. But legal status for those living in the United States illegally become immediate.
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