Jackson Free Press

"Until we get Mississippians back to work, I can neither support legislation that would grant work authorization or amnesty to people that came here illegally nor can I support increases in guest foreign workers, ​​many of whom accept work at sub-standard wages."

—Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and former Congressman Travis Childers explaining why he signed the FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform) anti-amnesty pledge.

Why it stinks: The statement he makes about "illegal immigrants and guest workers" taking jobs away from "unemployed Mississippians" reflects an old, tired trope that has been disproved time and time again. Immigrants do jobs that Americans simply won't do. And, many economists agree that the presence of immigrants, who buy just as much stuff as citizens, is a net benefit to the economy. For a state like Mississippi that has one of the nation's fastest growing immigrant populations, Childers' actions could prove politically fatal.