Obama At Cinco de Mayo Party Pushes Dream Act, Immigration Reform

Reposted from Latino Politics ( Huffington Post)

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama celebrated the contributions of Hispanic Americans Thursday at a Cinco de Mayo reception in the White House Rose Garden, where he told guests that passing the Dream Act and "fixing our broken immigration system" were top priorities.

The president's remarks at the annual event were sprinkled with Spanish phrases, and imbued with a fervor that's to be expected in an election year in which both parties' presumptive candidatesacknowledge the crucial role Latino voters will play in tipping the electoral balance in states like Florida and Arizona.

Obama also lauded the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico, saying that since the original battle in 1862, commemorated on Cinco de Mayo, "the United States and Mexico have lived intersecting and overlapping histories. Our two countries share the ties of history and familia and values and commerce and culture. And today, we are more united than ever -- in friendship and in common purpose," he said.

"Right now, there are more than 50 million Americans of Latino descent -- one-sixth of our population. You’re our neighbors, our co-workers, our family, our friends. You’re starting businesses. You’re teaching in classrooms. You’re defending this country. You’re driving America forward."

The remarks come against a backdrop of disappointment by many Latinos over the president's failure to enact the sweeping immigration reform he promised during his 2008 campaign. This disappointment was compounded by the Senate's failure to pass the Dream Act, which would have granted pathways to citizenship for undocumented young people who were brought to the U.S. as children by their parents.

"I want to sign the Dream Act into law," said the president. "I’ve got the pens all ready, and I’m willing to work with anybody who is serious … to achieve bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform that solves this challenge once and for all."

Guests at the event included Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhán, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, and Rep. Charlie Gonzalez (D-Texas), chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Obama closed his remarks with an appeal to the heritage of Mexico and the U.S., saying, "America is and always will be a nation of immigrants. We are richer because of the men and women and children who have come to our shores and joined our union. So as we mark Cinco de Mayo, on both sides of the border, we pay tribute to our shared heritage and our future partnership."

Obama pledges immigration reform early in 2nd term

Reposted from yahoo.com

CARTAGENA, Colombia (AP) — In his most specific pledge yet toU.S. Hispanics, President Barack Obama 

said Saturday he would seek to tackle immigration policy in the first year of a second term. But he cautioned that he would need an amenable Congress to succeed.

"This is something I care deeply about," he told Univision. "It's personal to me."

Obama said in the television interview that he would work on immigration this year, but said he can't get support from Republicans in Congress. Obama also tried to paint his Republican presidential challenger, Mitt Romney, as an extremist onimmigration, saying that Romney supports laws that would potentially allow for people to be stopped and asked for citizenship papers based on an assumption that they are illegal.

"So what we need is a change either of Congress or we need Republicans to change their mind, and I think this has to be an important debate during — throughout the country," Obama said.

Romney aides have said that the former Massachusetts governor supports laws that would require employers to verify the legal status of workers they employ.

"President Obama only talks about immigration reform when he's seeking votes," said Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul. "Then-candidate Obama promised to tackle immigration reform in his first year. More than three years into his term, America is still waiting for his immigration plan."

Hispanics are an increasingly important voting bloc in presidential elections. Obama won a sizable majority of the Hispanic vote in the 2008 election and his campaign is hoping for similar results this November.

Obama spoke to Univision, a network widely watched by Latinos in the United States, while in Colombia for the Summit of the Americas.