News Update - June 23, 2009

By Alan Lee, Esq.^†‡

Obama Speaks on Comprehensive Immigration Reform at the Esperanza National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast

On June 19, 2009, President Barack Obama delivered a speech at the Esperanza National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast committing himself and his Administration to passing comprehensive immigration reform.

President Obama emphasized the opportunities and freedoms offered by the United States—particularly those of religion and speech, and reminded the audience that “each of us comes from many different places. We trace our roots back to different nations, and we represent a broad spectrum of personal and political beliefs.” He described the promise of America as one in which “no matter what you look like, or where you come from, America will let you go as far as your dreams and hard work will carry you.”

Mr. Obama said that America must uphold its tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants, and that the American people believe in immigration, but also believe that we should not tolerate circumstances where people come to the United States in violation of the law, nor tolerate employers who exploit undocumented workers to drive down wages. Therefore, the Obama administration was taking steps to tighten border security and to identify the status of millions who are in the States illegally. Further, he said that in fairness to those who are in the United States lawfully, illegal aliens should be required to pay a penalty and pay taxes, learn English and “go to the back of the line behind those who played by the rules.”

† The author is a 26+ year practitioner of immigration law based in New York City. He was awarded the Sidney A. Levine prize for best legal writing at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1977 and has written extensively on immigration over the past years for the ethnic newspapers, World Journal, Sing Tao, Pakistan Calling, Muhasha and OCS. He has testified as an expert on immigration in civil court proceedings and was recognized by the Taiwan government in 1985 for his work protecting human rights. His article, "The Bush Temporary Worker Proposal and Comparative Pending Legislation: an Analysis" was Interpreter Releases' cover display article at the American Immigration Lawyers Association annual conference in 2004, and his victory in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in a case of first impression nationwide, Firstland International v. INS, successfully challenged INS' policy of over 40 years of revoking approved immigrant visa petitions under a nebulous standard of proof. Its value as precedent, however, was short-lived as it was specifically targeted by the Administration in the Intelligence Reform Act of 2004.

‡ This article © 2009 Alan Lee, Esq.

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