SEIU hits 12 Republicans on immigration

The Service Employees International Union is launching Spanish-language radio ads aimed at pressuring a dozen House Republicans to support immigration reform.

The $200,000 in ads target Republicans who represent a large number of Hispanics, and were announced as the House GOP conference prepares for a Wednesday meeting to discuss the way forward on immigration reform. 

“The debate over immigration reform has reached its deciding moment,” the ad begins, before playing clips of Reps. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) and Randy Weber (R-Texas) calling illegal immigrants “criminals” and “takers.”

{mosads}The ad then asks the congressmen to choose the side of “true patriots — business owners, religious leaders and elected officials from both parties” who support immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for the nation’s illegal immigrants. 

The ads target GOP Reps. Jeff Denham (Calif.), David Valadao (Calif.), Gary Miller (Calif.), Buck McKeon (Calif.), Scott Tipton (Colo.), Mike Coffman (Colo.), Daniel Webster (Fla.), Joe Heck (Nev.), Mark Amodei (Nev.), Ted Poe (Texas), Pete Olson (Texas) and Weber.

Valadao’s district is 70 percent Hispanic, while Miller’s is 50 percent Hispanci, according to U.S. Census data. Denham’s and McKeon’s are both 40 percent Hispanic.

The group isn’t the only one to take to the air on immigration ahead of Wednesday’s GOP meeting: the pro-reform conservative group American Action Forum is running ads on Fox News encouraging the House to take up border security.