Readout of the President's Meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus

Yesterday, President Obama met with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus about the need to fix our nation's broken immigration system. The President discussed his upcoming speech on comprehensive immigration reform with the members, and his desire to see a bipartisan process based on the proposal presented in the Senate and building on the Schumer-Graham framework. The President noted that the bipartisan approach in that proposal thoughtfully addresses the need to further secure our borders and demands accountability from both workers who are here illegally and unscrupulous employers who game the system. During the meeting the President also reiterated the unprecedented efforts his Administration has taken to secure our borders, including his request to Congress for $600 million in supplemental appropriations and the deployment of up-to an additional 1,200 National Guard forces to complement those efforts. The President pointed out that truly securing our border requires comprehensive immigration reform, and said that he wants to continue to work with the CHC and the Congress to act at the earliest possible opportunity. The President thanked the CHC members for their strong support over the past year and half, having helped pass a historic economic recovery bill, health care reform, education reform, and being on the cusp of passing Wall Street reform that ensures the irresponsibility of the past doesn't lead us to another crisis. In addition, the President once again made clear his views on the recent law passed in Arizona and noted that the Department of Justice was reviewing it.