Unions Ramp Up Push for Immigration Overhaul

(AP) Unions ramp up push for immigration overhaul
By SAM HANANEL
Associated Press
WASHINGTON
Labor unions are spending more than $1 million on new television ads criticizing House Republicans for refusing to back comprehensive immigration reform.

The ads will air in Spanish in target districts with large Latino populations in California, Colorado, Georgia and Florida. They will also air in English in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says the goal is to spur House Republicans to support legislation that would provide a path to citizenship for those in the country illegally. The ads also highlight Republicans who have made statements hostile toward people who came to the United States illegally.

Prospects for legislation this year have grown murky. The Senate has already passed a comprehensive immigration reform measure, but House Republicans favor a piecemeal approach to addressing the issue.