Controversial 'Immigration Reform' group buys inflammatory BART ads, but BART can't remove them

More than a dozen ads were placed inside the Civic Center BART station by Progressives for Immigration Reform. Pictured is a close-up of an ad. More than a dozen ads were placed inside the Civic Center BART station by Progressives for Immigration Reform. Pictured is a close-up of an ad. Photo: Photo By Alyssa Pereira/SFGATE Photo: Photo By Alyssa Pereira/SFGATE Image 1 of / 25 Caption Close Controversial 'Immigration Reform' group buys inflammatory BART ads, but BART can't remove them 1 / 25 Back to Gallery

A new ad campaign that was rolled out Thursday at a number of heavily trafficked BART stations is being dubbed as "disgusting" and "thinly-veiled anti-immigrant" by passengers and critics.

The signs, first reported by Buzzfeed, are directed at American tech workers, and claim that Bay Area tech companies believe they are "expensive, undeserving, and expendable," and as a result, hire non-U.S. workers instead.

An organization called Progressives for Immigration Reform paid $80,000 for the campaign to run through mid-April, according to BART spokesperson Alicia Trost. The Southern Poverty Law Center has previously characterized the group as "anti-immigrant."

Trost states that the ads were placed "primarily at San Francisco's Civic Center Station and Oakland's 12th St. and 19th Street Stations with smaller numbers in other stations and in trains."

But despite the dozens of posters installed around the transit system, Trost flatly states to SFGATE that BART "does not endorse these ads," but can't remove them due to the First Amendment.

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"This campaign complies with free speech laws that allow advertisers to express a point of view without regard to the viewpoint," she tells SFGATE. "BART must post these ads to comply with the law. Court rulings reinforce the fact that we can't deny the ads."

Kevin Lynn, the executive director at Progressives for Immigration Reform, told Buzzfeed Friday that the point of the campaign is to "make immigration work for the citizens as a whole." Buzzfeed also notes that Lynn's mother immigrated to the U.S. in 1952.

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"I don't see where innovation necessarily comes from diversity," Lynn continued, later adding that they will continue to lobby for their cause in the Bay Area. "What it comes from is having an environment where you can hire your college graduates, put them into a good paying job, and allow them to innovate."

Awful, anti-immigrant ads in the BART station today. Where can I donate to support the exact opposite of this? pic.twitter.com/24x23OmV8S — Don McCurdy (@donrmccurdy) March 16, 2018

BART riders don't seem to agree with Lynn's position.

"Awful, anti-immigrant ads in the BART station today," wrote rider Don McCurdy on Twitter Thursday. "Where can I donate to support the exact opposite of this?"

"BART is supposed to be for everyone!!!" replied Karin Spirn. "How will immigrants feel when they see these disgusting advertisements on their commute?"

In response to questions about the new ads, Trost also referenced the Safe Transit Policy, which BART passed in 2017 following a slew of racially- and religiously-charged confrontations, often directed at U.S. citizens, that took place on transit lines.

"Our Board of Directors passed a Safe Transit Policy in 2017 to send a clear message to the public and our riders that BART is a safe and welcoming system for all people," she reiterated. "The policy states in part 'the strength and vitality of our riding community and our employees come from our rich diversity of cultures, experiences and faiths, and we celebrate that diversity.'"

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.