Billboard denounces Sen. Flake for involvement with immigration bill
Jun 11, 2013, 5:59 PM | Updated: 5:59 pm
PHOENIX — A new billboard is going up in Phoenix that encourages Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake to disassociate himself with the so-called “Gang of Eight” senators that are trying to push an immigration bill through the U.S. Senate.
The billboard is located near 32nd street and the I-10 freeway, just south of Sky Harbor Airport.
Its supporters picketed outside of Flake’s Phoenix office Tuesday to say the plan is a form of amnesty that would offer a path to citizenship to 11 million illegal immigrants who are already in the country. They claimed the proposed bill would also bring 33 million foreign workers into the U.S.
Former Valley car dealer Rusty Childress said that would be bad news for about 20 million Americans who are already citizens and looking for work.
“That is a lot of competition to bring that much foreign labor, both legal and illegal immigration, into this country,” said Childress. “It (the country) just can’t handle the competition. This is bad timing.”
Childress said the bill mirrors what he calls the failed policies of the 1986 amnesty plan.
Former Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce said the U.S. should do something to encourage the illegal immigrants currently in this country to leave.
“Give them no jobs. Stop them with traffic stops. Don’t give them any free stuff. Enforce the law like any other law we have on the books. It’s not hard to do,” said Pearce.
Pearce, the co-author of Arizona’s controversial SB 1070 immigration law in 2010, said the Obama administration should stand behind American law.
“Why are we apologizing for enforcing our laws?,” Pearce asked. “Why do we apologize for standing up for Americans? Why do we apologize for demanding that Americans have the first right to those jobs? Why do we apologize for demanding a secure border? Why? Why? Shame on those that do! Shame on them!”
