Anti-immigration group runs ads saying Americans struggle to find work against newcomers

An anti-immigration group on Wednesday began running more than $1 million in ads that blame new immigrants for the economic struggles of longtime Americans.

NumbersUSA will run the 30-second ad in 10 states where there are competitive Senate races. The ads are not explicitly political but urge voters to examine whether senators or their challengers would be the strongest opponents to increased immigration.

"Finally, the economy is starting to crank out new jobs. But who should get those jobs?" a female narrator says. She asks whether they should go to new immigrants, "Or should the jobs go to the millions of Americans and legal immigrants already here, still looking for work?"

NumbersUSA bills itself as a non-partisan grassroots group that wants to reduce the number of immigrants in order to help American workers. The group claims it has 2 million activists.

NumbersUSA operates under part of the tax code that allows it to keep secret its donors because it is technically focused on public education and social welfare. Nowhere in the ads does the group tell voters how to cast ballots, but only to investigate candidates' records.

The ads will air in states with competitive Senate races: Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire and North Carolina.

___

Follow Philip Elliott on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/philip_elliott