Immigration Reform

Greetings,

President Obama and his Administration continue to work towards achieving commonsense immigration reform to boost our economy, strengthen our security, and live up to our most closely held values as a country.

Last week the President met with faith leaders in the Oval Office to discuss the importance of taking action to pass commonsense immigration reform. The faith leaders shared with the President stories about the impact the failure to fix the immigration system has on families in their congregations and communities.

President Barack Obama hosts a meeting with faith leaders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington April 15, 2014.(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Last week also marked the one year anniversary of the introduction of comprehensive bipartisan legislation in the Senate to fix our broken immigration system. The President has expressed deep concern about the pain felt by too many families when it comes to our broken immigration system. He has emphasized that while his Administration can take steps to better enforce and administer immigration laws, nothing can replace the certainty of legislative reform and that this permanent solution can only be achieved by Congress.

Click here for the President’s statement on the one year anniversary and here for an infographic that highlights the cost of inaction.

Recently, Vice President Joe Biden welcomed leaders of “Fast for Families” to the White House to hear stories of their national bus tour. Vice President Biden shared the White House’s commitment to reforming our broken immigration system and discussed his belief that America is stronger because of the immigrants that come and bring their talents and skills to the country, and we must preserve that national strength as we move forward.

Vice President Joe Biden meets with members of Fast For Families, in the West Wing lobby of the White House, April 11, 2014. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

In other news, on Thursday, April 17, 2014, while speaking to the press the President announced that 8 million Americans have signed up for private health coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act! Thanks to the work of many, more families have access to quality healthcare. Click here to see how the Affordable Care Act is helping families all across America.

Also, on Monday, April 7, 2014, President Obama and Vice President Biden participated in a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony for Maria Contreras-Sweet as the new Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA). Mrs. Contreras-Sweet is an excellent choice to lead the SBA, having served at high levels in both the public and private sectors. Mrs. Contreras-Sweet served as the first Latina cabinet secretary in the history of California, oversaw one of the largest state government agencies in the country, and built a successful bank dedicated to serving traditionally under-served Latino communities from scratch.

As always, please share this information with your networks, and help inform the Latino community on the latest news.

Thank you.

Jorge Neri
Associate Director
White House Office of Public Engagement 

Administration Highlights

Affordable Care Act by the Numbers
The Affordable Care Act is working. It is giving millions of middle class Americans the health care security they deserve, it is slowing the growth of health care costs and it has brought transparency and competition to the Health Insurance Marketplace.

Statement by the President on the Passing of Nobel Laureate Gabriel García Marquez
With the passing of Gabriel García Márquez, the world has lost one of its greatest visionary writers — and one of my favorites from the time I was young. Affectionately known as “Gabo” to millions of his fans, he first won international recognition with his masterpiece One Hundred Years of Solitude. To read the statement in Spanish click here.

American Job Training Investments: Skills and Jobs to Build a Stronger Middle Class
To create new opportunities for all hard-working Americans to get ahead, the President has asked the Vice President to lead an initiative to help individuals get trained with skills businesses need now and then placed in good, middle class jobs.

Agency Updates

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Pritzker Announces New York City Native to Lead Minority Business Development Agency
On Thursday, April 17th, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced the appointment of Alejandra Y. Castillo, a New York City native born to Dominican immigrants, with more than 20 years of experience working in the private, government and non-profit sector, as the new Director of the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA).

Peace Corps Announces 2014 Top Hispanic-Serving Institutions for Volunteers
On Wednesday, April 16th, the Peace Corps announced its 2014 rankings of the top volunteer-producing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). San Diego State University claimed the top spot among HSIs with 33 undergraduate alumni currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers.

United States and Mexico Celebrate Partnership for Historic Release of Colorado River Water to Delta
Deputy Secretary of the Interior Michael L. Connor and Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science Anne Castle joined other senior officials of the United States and Mexico to celebrate a historic first-time intentional release of water—called a “pulse flow”—from Morelos Dam near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Blog Highlights

Building on What Works With My Brother’s Keeper
When President Obama launched the My Brother’s Keeper initiative in February, the response from communities across the country was immediate and overwhelmingly positive. We quickly began hearing stories of creativity, collaboration, and triumphs from community leaders and organizations doing grassroots work to enhance opportunities for boys and young men of color. Some

Naturalization Ceremony Blog Post – “Welcoming New Partners to our Bold Experiment”
On Tuesday, 700 individuals from over 100 different counties, represented by different flags, different cultures and different systems of government gathered to take an oath in unison to become United State citizens at a naturalization ceremony held at hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria, VA.

Working Towards Healthier Latino Communities
The relationship between environmental protection and public health is at the heart of EPA’s mission and the agenda of the National Hispanic Medical Association. For years, Hispanic communities have been living in areas where the quality of the air they breathe and the water they drink does not meet national standards. 

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