Some advertisers drop Tucker Carlson after immigration remarks

Dec 18 - A number of advertisers have dropped Tucker Carlson's show on Fox News, the network said on Tuesday, after the host said last week that immigration makes the United States "poorer and dirtier and more divided."

Fox News said in a statement that the conservative commentator has been the target of far-left activist organizations since he made the remarks on his show on Thursday.

"We cannot and will not allow voices like Tucker Carlson to be censored by agenda-driven intimidation efforts," it said.

Fox, a unit of Twenty-First Century Fox Inc, did not name the advertisers that pulled their spots on the show or say how many there were, but said Farmers Insurance, Bayer and Mitsubishi Corp stayed.

It said all the advertisers that left were moving to other shows on the network and no revenue has been lost.

Republican President Donald Trump has made immigration reform one of his priorities and has promised to crack down on illegal crossings at the southern U.S. border with Mexico.

Carlson took up the topic again on his show on Monday, saying unregulated mass immigration from Mexico has hurt the natural landscape of the United States.

"Those who won't shut up get silenced," he said. "The enforcers scream 'Racist!' on Twitter until everybody gets intimidated and changes the subject ... We are not intimidated."

Several media reported at least 11 advertisers had stopped running spots on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" since he made the remarks last week, including IHOP, Voya Financial Inc, Just for Men and Nerd Wallet.

Other advertisers that pulled spots included Zenni Optical, Minted and Pacific Life, the media reported.

"As a company, we strongly disagree with Mr. Carlson's statements. Our customer base and our workforce reflect the diversity of our great nation, something we take great pride in," Pacific Life said in a statement on Twitter.