The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) calls on President Obama to exercise strong leadership on key issues affecting the second-largest population group in the nation. Given the current challenges facing the nation, including the fiscal crisis, now is the most opportune time for President Obama to fulfill his commitment to the advancement of the Latino community they feel.
Next week, President Obama will address the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) at its Annual Conference, the largest and most important gathering of the nation’s most influential individuals, organizations, institutions, and companies working with the Hispanic community. They are encouraging the President to embrace the opportunity provided by his attendance at the NCLR Annual Conference to announce meaningful progress on key policy issues of most importance to this segment of the American population.
Among the issues, NALEO urges President Obama to strongly promote and support negotiation and passage of The Dream Act. The President should also provide a more clear and expeditious process for implementing prosecutorial discretion to defer removal of DREAM Act eligible youth. The memorandum issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on this issue is a step in the right direction, but the Administration must establish a more uniform and transparent process to ensure stronger protections for these hard-working, law-abiding youth. At a time when our nation is engaged in critical discussions about the future of our economy, we can hardly afford to ignore the tremendous talent, contributions, and potential these young “DREAMers” represent for the future vitality of our economy.
