On May 10, the President traveled to El Paso, Texas, where he delivered a speech on the need for immigration reform. In his speech, the President touted his administration’s work on securing the border and said that, while some politicians will never be satisfied, it is time to tackle comprehensive reform of the broken immigration system. (In advance of the President’s address, the National Immigration Forum convened a background briefing for press, with national security and border security experts. You can listen to a recording of the press briefing by clicking here (mp3 file)).

The document ends by calling on Americans “to work together to foster a constructive national conversation on immigration reform” that leads to legislative action. There is a list of events around the country that will “bring together Administration officials and leaders from business, faith, labor, law enforcement, and immigrant communities” to discuss immigration reform. You can obtain a copy of the document and find related resources on the White House Web site here.

You can read the Forum’s reaction to the President’s remarks here.

The President’s trip to El Paso is the latest in a series of meetings with the President or remarks made by him concerning immigration. Following up on a meeting he had with business, community, faith, and other leaders on April 19, the President met in the White House with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on May 3. In that meeting, the President said that his administration would “continue to work toward improving our enforcement practices so that we are not using our limited resources on those potentially eligible for an adjustment of status….” In his commencement address for Miami Dade College on April 29, the President brought up the issue of immigration, pledging continued support for immigration reform and passage of the DREAM Act. PD

—From National Immigration Forum news release