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GOP uses Spanish-radio ads in immigration counterattack
Tucson, Arizona | Published: http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/125036
On the heels of massive pro-immigrant demonstrations, Republicans on Monday
launched a Spanish-language advertising campaign accusing Democrats of
foiling an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws.
In Tucson, the 60-second spots will air through today on La Caliente KCMT
(102.1-FM), said Terry Bakos, the station's national sales coordinator.
The ads say in part: "Terrorists coming across our borders. Drugs smuggled
to America's shores. But just last week, there was hope. Congress was
working on immigration reform to secure our borders and protect American
families.
"But Democratic leader Harry Reid let us down. Harry Reid (a Nevada senator)
played politics and blocked our leaders from working together. Reid's
Democratic allies voted to treat millions of hardworking immigrants as
felons."
The Republican National Committee paid for the ads, said spokesman Danny
Diaz. The ads, he said, aim to shed light on "the fact that the Democrats
are less focused on immigration reform and more focused on playing
politics."
In addition to Tucson and Phoenix, the ads are airing in Nevada, Diaz said.
In New Mexico, the state Republican Party is running similar ads.
On Monday, Reid's office released a statement rebutting the ads. In its own
statement, the Arizona Democratic Party called the ads misleading.
In Tucson, Donna Branch-Gilby, chairwoman of the Pima County Democratic
Party, said the ads are nothing more than attempts to ward off a backlash
from Hispanics.
"They're trying to do damage control, because it's in the record that the
Republicans passed a bill making entering this country illegally a felony. …
Some of them are even racist about this issue," she said.
Rather than respond with their own radio campaign, Branch-Gilby said, Tucson
Democrats would continue working on building relationships in the Hispanic
community. For instance, she noted, her group donated 6,000 water bottles
for last week's pro-immigrant march and rally at Armory Park.
"That is more important than costly Spanish ads," she said.
The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives has passed
legislation that deals mostly with border security and makes illegal
immigrants subject to felony prosecution.
The Senate tried to come up with a broader bill that included a guest-worker
program and ways to legalize people who live in the country illegally.
Efforts deadlocked before Congress adjourned for a two-week vacation on
April 7.
Carlos Gonzales, marketing and promotions director for La Caliente, the
city's top-rated Spanish-language station, said the ads show that
Republicans recognize radio is one of the most effective ways to reach
Spanish speakers — and potential Hispanic voters who traditionally vote for
Democratic candidates.
"The power of radio is huge in the Hispanic community," said Gonzales, a
Democrat turned Republican. Indeed, he noted, Spanish-language disc jockeys
became a driving force in mobilizing demonstrators across the country and
bringing attention to immigration laws.
Last year, a Pew Hispanic Center report documented the popularity of
Spanish-language radio in a survey of about 1,300 Hispanics.
"This medium is exceptionally popular among Latinos," with 58 percent of
adults saying they get some news from Spanish radio," the report states.
Fifty-six percent of foreign-born Hispanics said they relied on
Spanish-language radio for all their news.
● Contact Lourdes Medrano at 573-4347 or lmedrano@ azstarnet.com.
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