Photo: Influential Hispanics meet with President Obama to discuss immigration
Thursday, President Obama hosted a number of “influential Hispanics from across the country to discuss the importance of fixing the broken immigration system.”
Invited were the following:
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
A press release from the White House stated, “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 release also gave a list of points the president wished to address with those in attendance. Those points included:
-Responsibility from the federal government to secure our borders
- Accountability for businesses that break the law by undermining American workers and exploiting undocumented workers
- Responsibility from people who are living in the United States illegally
- Strengthen economic competiveness by creating a legal immigration system that meets our diverse needs
- Dedicating Unprecedented Resources to Secure the Border
- Making our Interior and Worksite Enforcement Efforts Smarter and More Strategic
- Improving our Legal Immigration System
