Background on the President’s Meeting with Influential Hispanics from Across the Country on Immigration

April 28, 2011

Today the President will meet with influential Hispanics from across the country to discuss the importance of fixing the broken immigration system for our nation’s 21st century economic and security needs so that America can win the future. The President will also discuss how we can work together to foster a constructive national conversation on this important issue as we work to build a bipartisan consensus in Congress.
 
Administration officials expected to attend the meeting include:
Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President
David Plouffe, Senior Advisor to the President
Melody Barnes, Assistant to the President & Director of Domestic Policy Council
Cecilia Munoz, Deputy Assistant to the President & Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
 
Participants expected at the meeting include:
Jose Diaz-Balart
Barbara Bermudo
Rosario Dawson
Emilio Estefan
Lily Estefan
America Ferrera
Don Francisco
Vanessa Hauc
Maria Teresa Kumar
Eva Longoria
Maria Elena Salinas
Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo
 
Background on Administration Immigration Policy
President Obama remains deeply committed to fixing the broken immigration system.  The United States has been enriched by a steady stream of hardworking and talented people who have helped make America an engine of the global economy and a beacon of hope around the world.  As we work to rebuild the economy, our ability to thrive depends, in part, on restoring responsibility and accountability to the immigration system.  President Obama believes Democrats and Republicans should come together to tackle an issue that is critical not only to our national security but also to the economy and our global competiveness.

The President has outlined a vision for fixing the broken immigration system through common-sense, comprehensive immigration reform grounded in the principles of responsibility and accountability:

The President takes seriously his responsibility to enforce our immigration laws and secure the border.  Over the last two years, the Obama Administration has dedicated unprecedented resources to secure the border, taken important steps to make interior and worksite enforcement of our immigration laws smarter, and more effective, and made improvements to the legal immigration system.

Our efforts have been enormously successful, but we need comprehensive reform that demands responsibility and accountability from the government, businesses, and immigrants themselves.