Grocery Chain Stands By Ad Sent To Louisiana And Arkansas Stores: 'Heaven Has A Wall'

A family-owned grocery franchise with locations in Arkansas and Louisiana has received criticism this week for a political message that references President Trump's border wall that was inserted into an advertisement mailer.

The advertisement for Mac's Cashsaver, which was featured on the front cover of a weekly mailer book, reads: "Heaven has a wall, a gate and a strict immigration policy. Hell has open borders. Let that sink in."

The ad for the grocery store franchise targeted stores in northern Louisiana, as well as Arkansas locations in Camden, El Dorado, and Magnolia. The company on Wednesday also tweeted a photo featuring the wall-related blurb.

While some scolded the ad for its overtly political messaging, those linked with the store have denied the interpretation, stating that the ad’s meaning is religious and not political in nature.

"They’re just making a political spin out of it and getting the wrong idea of what it really means," Jack Digby, a Mac’s Cashsaver manager in Camden, Arkansas, told KARK, an NBC affiliate in Little Rock.

Since the ad went public, Digby has said he has screened a number of angry calls from locals and has been approached by "dozens" of customers over the matter.

Despite this, he remains in solidarity with the company, which identifies itself as a Christian, family-owned business.

"I am for the company and I am for God. There’s nothing wrong with what that statement says," he added.

While some have expressed unanimity with the distribution of the ad, others have expressed displeasure or even puzzlement at the ad placement.

The kerfuffle over the ad comes days before the Feb. 15 deadline for government spending, which many fear could result in another partial-government shutdown if no resolution is reached over funding for Trump’s proposed border wall.

Democrats continue to oppose Trump’s proposed $5.7 billion funding for the wall. Hopes for a brokered bipartisan deal fell apart Sunday as the sides failed to reach an agreement on a lowered limit on immigrants already in the U.S. who could be detained by Enforcement and Removal Operations officers from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

"For far too long, the Trump administration has been tearing communities apart with its cruel immigration policies,” said Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, a Democrat from California, in a statement on Sunday. "A cap on ICE detention beds will force the Trump administration to prioritize deportation for criminals and people who pose real security threats, not law-abiding immigrants who are contributing to our country."