Zuckerberg-backed immigration group Fwd.us gears up for 2016 election

[Ian Smith son]

An advocacy group backed by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other tech titans failed in the past to change the country s immigration laws, but now the organization is making another play in the 2016 election cycle.

The group, Fwd.us, could spend as much as $10 million over the next year on digital and TV ads, research and polling, POLITICO reports.

Their campaign would focus on the expansion of its ground operation into 12 states, focusing on presidential battlegrounds and targeted House seats held by Republicans.

Meanwhile, GOP-frontrunner Donald Trump has laid out his own immigration plans, which includes building a wall across the U.S. Mexico border, tripling the number of immigration and customs enforcement

officers, ending birthright citizenship among other changes, according to his website.

In the wake of the Paris terror attacks, Trump has also said he s against allowing Syrian refugees in the country.

In contrast, Fwd.us is advocating for a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States who do not have legal status.

It s a good time to inform people of the stakes, Rob Jesmer, a veteran Republican political operative and campaign manager at Fwd.us told POLITICO.

There is a lot of focus on one candidate, frankly, he added of Trump, (but) there are several who are out of the mainstream. ... From a policy situation if we nominate any of those people we are going to lose. No two ways about it.

Fwd.us made up 75 percent of all paid media spent in 2013 and 2014 to support immigration reform, POLITICO reports.

Immigration isn t the only cause that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is funding.

The 31-year-old billionaire, who just became a father, announced Tuesday that he and his wife Dr. Priscilla Chan were giving away 99 percent of their $45 billion in Facebook stock to fund an initiative to

advance human potential and promote equality for all children.

Zuckerberg-backed immigration group Fwd.us gears up for 2016 election - ContraCostaTimes.com