An ad aired during the presidential debate is being criticized for its approach, showing an African-American actor highlighting black unemployment and focusing on anti-immigration remarks.
With 31% of all new immigrants as of 2010 being of Latino descent, the anti-immigrant remarks in the NumbersUSA ad are seen as an attempt to fracture the relationship between African-Americans and the Latino community.
NumbersUSA defended itself by saying that their ad is not “incendiary,” but others such as Zack Stanton, a spokesperson from Immigrant’s List, says the ad misrepresents the truth.
“At the most basic level, they’re trying to play the fear about the economy,” says Stanton.
Statistics show that Latinos and African-Americans were largely in support of President Obama in 2008, with 96% of African-Americans and 67% of Latinos having voted for him. For this election however, NumbersUSA seems to be using division tactics to create a split in the communities.
“They can claim they could run the same ad with a Latino American, but the fact is they didn’t,” says Stanton. “With the Latino community at the forefront of the immigration battle it would have been obvious what they were trying to do so instead they’re trying to create divides.”
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