WASHINGTON — A California anti-immigration group has launched a national ad campaign invoking the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and framing the immigration issue in highly racial terms.
The 30-second ad by Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS), which is running nationally including during CNN broadcasts, features stark black and white images of black, white, and Latino Americans as a voice over gravely intones, "We must ask, how would he feel about 20 million African Americans unemployed or underemployed, about giving amnesty and jobs to 11 million illegal aliens with so many jobless Americans; about admitting 30 million more immigrant workers when 17 percent of Hispanic Americans are having trouble finding work."
"Was that Dr. King's dream?" the ad concludes.
CAPS has a long history of connecting anti-immigration arguments with population control and environmental issues.
"As we mark the great Dr. King's birthday, it's safe to say, higher minority unemployment and no wage increase in 40 years were not part of his dream for Americans. So, why do so many of our congressional leaders today want to admit millions more immigrant workers to take jobs and depress wages when hardworking African-American and Hispanic American workers can't find jobs?" Californians for Population Stabilization media director Joe Guzzardi said in a statement.