As President Obama turns 54 on Tuesday, August 4th, we’re reminded that one of the issues at the forefront of his 53rd year was immigration reform. When Obama celebrated his last birthday -- and we offered past immigration quotes -- his administration was trying to calm down the country about the summer’s influx of Central American Migrants. Since his last birthday, Obama pursued an aggressive set of executive immigration policies. He’s both introduced and defended those policies, which give temporary deportation relief to upward of 5 million immigrants. Work permits intended for those in the program have been frozen in a court battle, but the deportation relief has stayed. As Obama celebrates , let’s look back on how he’s defended the program tied it to civil rights struggles, and looked at his own family’s immigrant history.
1) “[It] is my profound preference and interest to see Congress act on a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would strengthen our borders; would streamline our legal immigration system so that it works better and we're attracting the best and the brightest from around the world; and that we give an opportunity for folks who’ve lived here, in many cases, for a very long time, may have kids who are U.S. citizens, but aren’t properly documented -- give them a chance to pay their back taxes, get in the back of the line, but get through a process that allows them to get legal.”
Nov. 5, 2014
2) “Scripture tells us that we shall not oppress a stranger, for we know the heart of a stranger -- we were strangers once, too.”
Nov. 20, 2014
3) “And so the question is going to be I think if executive actions on areas like minimum wage, or equal pay, or having a more sensible immigration system are important to Republicans, if they care about those issues, and the executive actions are bothering them, there is a very simple solution, and that is: Pass bills.”
December 19, 2014
4) “Yes, passions still fly on immigration, but surely we can all see something of ourselves in the striving young student, and agree that no one benefits when a hardworking mom is snatched from her child, and that it’s possible to shape a law that upholds our tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. I’ve talked to Republicans and Democrats about that. That’s something that we can share.”
January 20th, 2015
5) “The American instinct that led these young men and women to pick up the torch and cross this bridge [In Selma, Alabama 50 years ago], that’s the same instinct that moved patriots to choose revolution over tyranny. It’s the same instinct that drew immigrants from across oceans and the Rio Grande; the same instinct that led women to reach for the ballot, workers to organize against an unjust status quo; the same instinct that led us to plant a flag at Iwo Jima and on the surface of the Moon.” (Selma, Alabama)
March 7, 2015
6) “At home, I've taken executive actions to fix as much of our broken immigration system as I can, which includes trying to help people come out of the shadows so that they can live and work in a country that they call home. And that includes hundreds of thousands of young people we call DREAMers, who have already received temporary relief.” (Panama City, Panama)
April 11, 2015
7) “I am determined to make the most of every moment I have left. After the midterm elections, my advisors asked me, ‘Mr. President, do you have a bucket list?’ And I said, ‘Well, I have something that rhymes with bucket list.' Take executive action on immigration? Bucket. New climate regulations? Bucket. It's the right thing to do.” (Humorous remarks delivered at White House Correspondents' Dinner)
April 25, 2015
8) “Justice is making sure every young person knows they are special and they are important and that their lives matter -- not because they heard it in a hashtag, but because of the love they feel every single day -- not just love from their parents, not just love from their neighborhood, but love from police, love from politicians. Love from somebody who lives on the other side of the country, but says, that young person is still important to me. That’s what justice is. And in the American tradition and in the immigrant tradition of remaking ourselves, in the Christian tradition that says none of us is without sin and all of us need redemption, justice and redemption go hand in hand.”
July 14, 2015
9) “I am proud to be the first American President to come to Kenya -- and, of course, I'm the first Kenyan-American to be President of the United States.”
“And when it comes to the people of Kenya -- particularly the youth -- I believe there is no limit to what you can achieve. A young, ambitious Kenyan today should not have to do what my grandfather did, and serve a foreign master. You don't need to do what my father did, and leave your home in order to get a good education and access to opportunity. Because of Kenya’s progress, because of your potential, you can build your future right here, right now.” (Nairobi, Kenya)
July 26th, 2005
Of course, there are many more Obama quotes from when the president was younger, running for office in his first campaign and trying to pass the (failed) 2013 bill on comprehensive immigration reform. We published these last year , and have republished them below.
10) "We have to stand up for these issues when it's tough, and that's what I've done. I did it when I was in the state legislature, sponsoring the Illinois version of the DREAM Act, so that children who were brought here through no fault of their own are able to go to college, because we actually want well-educated kids in our country who are able to succeed and become part of this economy and part of the American dream."
11) Earlier this year, President Obama pointed to the economic benefits that immigration reform might have, urging Republicans to consider his proposal. "Independent economists say immigration reform will grow our economy and shrink our deficits by almost $1 trillion in the next two decades. And for good reason: when people come here to fulfill their dreams -- to study, invent, and contribute to our culture -- they make our country a more attractive place for businesses to locate and create jobs for everyone. So let’s get immigration reform done this year."
12) "Number one, it is absolutely critical that we tone down the rhetoric when it comes to the immigration debate, because there has been an undertone that has been ugly. Oftentimes, it has been directed at the Hispanic community. We have seen hate crimes skyrocket in the wake of the immigration debate as it has been conducted in Washington, and that is unacceptable."
13) When speaking about education, the President also pointed to the strides made by young immigrants in the country.
"Estiven Rodriguez couldn’t speak a word of English when he moved to New York City at age nine. But last month, thanks to the support of great teachers and an innovative tutoring program, he led a march of his classmates -- through a crowd of cheering parents and neighbors -- from their high school to the post office, where they mailed off their college applications. And this son of a factory worker just found out he’s going to college this fall."
14) "We are a nation of laws and we are a nation of immigrants, and we can reconcile those two things. So we need comprehensive reform, and that means stronger border security. It means that we are cracking down on employers that are taking advantage of undocumented workers because they can't complain if they're not paid a minimum wage. They can't complain if they're not getting overtime. Worker safety laws are not being observed. We have to crack down on those employers, although we also have to make sure that we do it in a way that doesn't lead to people with Spanish surnames being discriminated against, so there's got to be a safeguard there."
15) "[It] is important that we fix the legal immigration system, because right now we've got a backlog that means years for people to apply legally. And what's worse is, we keep on increasing the fees, so that if you've got a hard working immigrant family, they've got to hire a lawyer; they've got to pay thousands of dollars in fees. They just can't afford it. And it's discriminatory against people who have good character, we should want in this country, but don't have the money. So we've got to fix that."
16) "I do not want two classes of citizens in this country. I want everybody to prosper. That's going to be a top priority."
17) "The system isn't working when 12 million people live in hiding, and hundreds of thousands cross our borders illegally each year; when companies hire undocumented immigrants instead of legal citizens to avoid paying overtime or to avoid a union; when communities are terrorized by ICE immigration raids -- when nursing mothers are torn from their babies, when children come home from school to find their parents missing, when people are detained without access to legal counsel. When all that's happening, the system just isn't working."
18) "I marched with you in the streets of Chicago to meet our immigration challenge. I fought with you in the Senate for comprehensive immigration reform. And I will make it a top priority in my first year as President."
19) "If we are going to solve the challenges we face, you need a President who will pursue genuine solutions day in and day out. And that is my commitment to you. We need immigration reform that will secure our borders, and punish employers who exploit immigrant labor; reform that finally brings the 12 million people who are here illegally out of the shadows by requiring them to take steps to become legal citizens. We must assert our values and reconcile our principles as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. That is a priority I will pursue from my very first day."
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