Thread: Obama calls for immigration reform at prayer breakfast

Obama calls for immigration reform at prayer breakfast

By Christina Bellantoni
Friday, June 19, 2009


President Barack Obama greets members of the audience after delivering remarks at the Esperanza National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast and Conference, Friday, June 19, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

UPDATED:
President Obama on Friday told a prayer breakfast for U.S. Hispanics he remains committed to an immigration reform bill, but once again would not commit himself for a legislative deadline for action.

The nation's first black president also told the Esperanza National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast and Conference that one day there would be a Hispanic president, and lauded his Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who if confirmed would be the first Hispanic on the high court.

Mr. Obama said the basic promise of the country is that "America will let you go as far as your dreams and your hard work will carry you."

As he has done frequently when speaking to predominantly Hispanic audiences, Mr. Obama repeated his broad promise to sign an immigration reform bill, offering general principles that he wants to see but not specifying when he hopes to see a bill from Congress.

He said the nation's borders must be strengthened first, but that he does support a pathway to citizenship for some illegal immigrants living in the country as long as they pay penalties for breaking the law and learn English. He also decried worker exploitation and said he was "committed to passing comprehensive immigration reform."

Hispanics strongly backed Mr. Obama in last year's election, and a number of Latino lawmakers have pressed for action on immigration reform this year.

Mr. Obama received some pressure to move more quickly at Friday's gathering from Esperanza's Rev. Jose Eugenio Hoyos, who said, "We want to see change in immigration reform, today and not tomorrow."

Mr. Obama told the prayer breakfast, held in Washington, that the Bible's command to "love thy neighbor as thyself" crosses all religions and applies with special force in today's troubled economy. He spoke for about 12 minutes about the importance of Americans working together to build the nation's future.

During tough times, "it's even more important to step back and give thanks and to seek guidance from each other but most importantly from God," he said.

He added that, thanks to the Founding Fathers, Americans' freedom to worship or to be non-believers "makes our nation stronger."

The event opened with a prayer for the Obama family. Mr. Obama also has a series of events celebrating fatherhood ahead of Sunday's Father's Day.

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/ju ... _headlines

Added to Home Page
http://www.alipac.us/article4320.html

Video of Meeting:

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-160140.html

Dixie

Sounds almost the same as Bush.

It sure does. You know Obama was on Bush's immigration "Dream Team" of 12-15.



Larry Downing / Reuters
Senators discuss the U.S. immigration reform measure co-sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., right, and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., second left, on Capitol Hill on Thursday. Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., flank McCain.

Originally Posted by Dixie

It sure does. You know Obama was on Bush's immigration "Dream Team" of 12-15.



Larry Downing / Reuters
Senators discuss the U.S. immigration reform measure co-sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., right, and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., second left, on Capitol Hill on Thursday. Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., flank McCain.

How could Senator Graham not be in this picture or is he more of a behind the scene type?

And all the while Obama tells the Hispanics about amnesty, he's telling Americans about enforcement. The man talks out of both sides of his mouth.

This picture reminds me of how better off U.S. Citizens will be placing our support behind the Senators and Congressmen who will support United States Citizens against the invasion of the ILLEGALS. Both presidential candidates from the two “majorâ€

LEARN ENGLISH ? I don't believe that for a second. How many of the people getting citizenship can speak a word of english? All I see in the news now can't speak a word of English, and I'm to believe thave are citzens.
My big question is how hard is it to take away the ciztzen statas os a fraud
?

Transcript
June 19, 2009
Transcript: President’s remarks at Hispanic Prayer Breakfast
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

__________________________________________________ _________

For Immediate Release June 19, 2009



REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT THE ESPERANZA NATIONAL HISPANIC PRAYER BREAKFAST



J.W. Marriott
Washington, D.C.
9:32 A.M. EDT



THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Buenos dÃ*as.



AUDIENCE: Buenos dÃ*as.



THE PRESIDENT: It is good to see everybody here. Just a few quick acknowledgments. Our outstanding Secretary of Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, is here. Please give her a big round of applause. (Applause.) The great governor of the state of Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell. (Applause.) Two special members of my staff that I want all of you to get to know. First of all, we have a White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships -- if you haven't already met him, Joshua DeBois is just a wonderful young man, please give him a big round of applause; he helps to organize a lot of our faith outreach. (Applause.) And our director of Intergovernmental Affairs, one of my favorite people, Cecilia Muñoz, please give her a big round of applause. (Applause.)



I want to thank Reverend Cortes for the wonderful introduction and the wonderful prayer for me and my family. I want to thank Esperanza, and all of you who worked so hard to put together the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast and Conference. And I also want to join you in honoring the work of Adolfo Carrion Sr. on this Father's Day weekend -- (applause) -- on this Father's Day weekend I know that my director of Urban Affairs, Adolfo's son, is particularly proud of his dad. I also want to thank all of you for the work that you do each and every day. Through your service to your communities, you represent the very best in our country. And I'm honored to join you in prayer this morning.



At a time when there's no shortage of challenges to occupy our time, it's even more important to step back, and to give thanks, and to seek guidance from each other -- but most importantly, from God. That's what we've come here to do.



We can begin by giving thanks for the legacy that allows us to come together. For it was the genius of America's Founders to protect the freedom of all religion, and those who practice no religion at all. So as we join in prayer, we remember that this is a nation of Christians and Muslims and Jews and Hindus and non-believers. It is this freedom that allows faith to flourish within our borders. It is this freedom that makes our nation stronger.



For those of us who draw on faith as a guiding force in our lives, prayer has many purposes. For many, it is a source of support when times are hard. President Lincoln, who Reverend Cortes mentioned, once said, "I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go." And while the challenges that I've faced pale in comparison to Lincoln's, I know that more than once I've been filled with the same conviction over the last five months.



But prayer is more than a last resort. Prayer helps us search for meaning in our own lives, and it helps us find the vision and the strength to see the world that we want to build. And that's what I'd like to talk about for just a few minutes today.



As I look out at this audience, I'm reminded of the power of faith in America -- faith in God, and a faith in the promise of this great country. Each of us come from many different places. We trace our roots back to different nations, and we represent a broad spectrum of personal and political beliefs. But all of us pray to God. All of us share a determination to build a better future for our children and grandchildren. And that must be a starting point for common ground, and for the America that we want to build.



Like some of you, I am the son of a parent who came to these shores in search of a better future. And while I may be the first African American President, there is nothing unique or unusual about the opportunities that this country gave to me. Instead, like generations of Americans, I could count on the basic promise that no matter what you look like, or where you come from, America will let you go as far as your dreams and your hard work will carry you.



And that promise is at the heart of the American story. It's a story shared by many of you -- by clergy and members of Congress; by business leaders and community organizers. It's the story of every young child who has the opportunity to go farther in life than their parents were able to go. It's the story of a young girl who could rise from a public housing project to be nominated for the highest court in the land. (Applause.) And I am confident that it's a story that will someday be told by the first Hispanic President of the United States of America. (Applause.)



But we know there is much more work to be done to extend the promise of a better life to all our children and grandchildren. In all that we do, we must be guided by that simple command that binds all great religions together: Love thy neighbor as thyself.



In the 21st century, we've learned that this truth is central not just to our own lives, but to our success as a nation. If our children cannot get the world-class education they need to succeed, then America will not be able to compete with other countries. If our families cannot afford health care, then the costs go up for all of us -- individuals, businesses, and government. If folks down the street can't pay their mortgage and folks across town can't find a job, then that pain is going to trickle into other parts of our economy.

And that's why we've come together on behalf of the future that we want to build -- one where all of our children go to the best schools, all our people can go to work and make a living, all our families can afford health care; and prosperity is extended to everybody. Together, we must build a future where the promise of America is kept for a new generation.

We also know that keeping this promise means upholding America's tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. Those things aren't contradictory; they're complementary. That's why I'm committed to passing comprehensive immigration reform as President of the United States. (Applause.)

The American people -- the American people believe in immigration, but they also believe that we can't tolerate a situation where people come to the United States in violation of the law, nor can we tolerate employers who exploit undocumented workers in order to drive down wages. That's why we're taking steps to strengthen border security, and we must build on those efforts. We must also clarify the status of millions who are here illegally, many who have put down roots. For those who wish to become citizens, we should require them to pay a penalty and pay taxes, learn English, go to the back of the line behind those who played by the rules. That is the fair, practical, and promising way forward, and that's what I'm committed to passing as President of the United States. (Applause.)

We must never forget that time and again, the promise of America has been renewed by immigrants who make their story part of the American story. We see it in every state of our country. We see it in our families and in our neighborhoods. As President, I've been honored to see it demonstrated by the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States.

Last month, I had the honor of welcoming a group of our service members as citizens for the very first time. In that crowd, there were faces from every corner of the world. And one man from Nicaragua -- Jeonathan Zapata -- had waited his whole life to serve our country even though he was not yet a citizen. "By serving in the military," he said, "I can also give back to the United States." He's done so in Afghanistan, and he even helped man the 400,000th aircraft landing aboard the USS Kitty Hawk.

And Jeonathan's story is not unique either. He's part of a proud legacy of service. For generations, Hispanic Americans have served with great commitment and valor, and there are now nearly 150,000 Hispanic Americans serving under our flag. And today we are proud -- (applause) -- today we are proud to welcome several of them who are wounded warriors recovering at Walter Reed. Please join me in honoring their service, and in keeping them and all of our troops in our thoughts and prayers -- please. (Applause.)

These troops have dedicated their lives to serving their fellow Americans. Their example -- like those of all of our men and women in uniform -- should challenge us to ask what we can do to better serve our communities and our country, because the greatest responsibility that we have as citizens is to one another.

That's the spirit we need to build; that's the America that we seek. And to do so, we must look past our divisions to serve the hopes and dreams that we hold in common. We must give life to that fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper, that I am my sister's keeper.

Scripture tells us, "The word is very near to you. It is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it." Today, let us pray for the strength to find the word in our hearts, and for the vision to see the America that we can build together as one nation, and as one people.

Thank you for your partnership. Thank you for your prayers. May God bless all of you, and may God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)

END 9:44 A.M. EDT

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