WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Tom Tancredo, the Colorado Republican presidential candidate known for his conservative views on immigration, blasted the National Football League on Thursday for refusing to include a border patrol ad in its Super Bowl programs.

"I think it is a mistake to assert that the basic existence and function of the Border Patrol is so controversial as to merit an outright rejection of its proposed advertisement," Tancredo wrote in a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The Border Patrol, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, had hoped to have their ad included in the programs distributed to Super Bowl patrons two weeks ago at Miami's Dolphins Stadium.

Earlier this week, an NFL spokesman told CNN that the ad's tenor and weighty subject matter did not reflect the "light-hearted" atmosphere the league aimed for in its Super Bowl coverage. The NFL asked the Border Patrol to amend the ad, according to the spokesman, but never heard back.

"It was a little too hard-hitting for our taste," the spokesman said. "We weren't comfortable with some of the language."

To "easily remedy this situation," Tancredo suggested that the NFL guarantee "the agency space in next year's program and [issue] a public statement of support for their mission."