In his weekly presidential address posted on Saturday, President Barack Obama commemorated Immigrant Heritage Month by talking about his grandparents from both sides of the family and telling the story of an Irish woman gaining her citizenship.
Then, Obama stated that the immigration system is broken and that with Republicans refusing to vote on it, he will continue to fight to change it because It’s the right thing to do and it will make America stronger.
“We can’t just celebrate this heritage, we have to defend it – by fixing our broken immigration system. Nearly two years ago, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate came together to do that. They passed a commonsense bill to secure our border, get rid of backlogs, and give undocumented immigrants who are already living here a pathway to citizenship if they paid a fine, paid their taxes, and went to the back of the line. But for nearly two years, Republican leaders in the House have refused to even allow a vote on it. ”
He also added, “That’s why, in the meantime, I’m going to keep doing everything I can to make our immigration system more just and more fair. Last fall, I took action to provide more resources for border security; focus enforcement on the real threats to our security; modernize the legal immigration system for workers, employers, and students; and bring more undocumented immigrants out of the shadows so they can get right with the law. Some folks are still fighting against these actions. I’m going to keep fighting for them. Because the law is on our side. It’s the right thing to do and it will make America stronger. ”
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent
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