The American Action Network launched an ad on Fox News Tuesday calling on the House of Representatives to pass the “border surge” plan included in the sweeping immigration reform bill that came out of the Senate last month.
“It’s called the border surge 000 the toughest border security plan ever passed by Congress; seven hundred miles of new fencing, twenty thousand new border patrol agents, radar, night vision — even drones. Written with border patrol agents and supported by conservative leaders like Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and Paul Ryan,” the ad tells viewers.
“This is the tough border security America needs. Call Congress. Tell them to support the border surge. Tell them to pass conservative immigration reform,” the ad concludes.
The right-wing group’s latest $100,000 ad is the fourth this year, having spent $650,000 already in support of comprehensive immigration reform.
American Action began airing the ad two days before a private Republican caucus meeting in the House this Wednesday, when the lower chamber is scheduled to discuss its own plan for immigration legislation.
The ad does not address any other key components in the Senate bill, including the call to end what Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio described as “de facto amnesty,” the current status of 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., featured in ads last month.
Under the “Gang of Eight” bill that Rubio and others led through the Senate last month, current illegal immigrants passing a criminal background check would be eligible for temporary work permits and eventual citizenship after several years of paying taxes and obeying the law. The “border surge” plan also must be implemented before green cards could be issued.
Conservatives in the Senate opposed to the bill described it as opening the back door to amnesty, first with additional requirements, including “border surge,” later with requirements they argue will never actually go into effect.
House conservatives have said they want to take up immigration reform in a piecemeal approach, breaking down the issue into a number of separate bills as opposed to the single sweeping effort by the Senate.
In theory, the House could pass the “border surge” plan without the legalization plan at all — at least until the two chambers go to conference to work out a compromise between versions.
Boehner has also said he will subject immigration reform to the “Hastert rule,” meaning a majority of House Republicans — many of whom are outspokenly opposed to the bill — will have to support a bill before it can come to the floor for a vote.
A separate version of the ad will on Fox News stations in Florida until July 16 asking viewers to “Call Senator Rubio,” and “Thank him for keeping his promise, and fighting to secure the border.”