Barack Obama photo

Readout of the President's Meeting with Faith Leaders on Commonsense Immigration Reform

April 15, 2014

This morning, the President met with faith leaders in the Oval Office to discuss the importance of taking action to pass commonsense immigration reform. The faith leaders shared with the President stories about the impact the failure to fix the immigration system has on families in their congregations and communities. The President expressed deep concern about the pain too many families feel from the separation that comes from our broken immigration system. He emphasized that while his Administration can take steps to better enforce and administer immigration laws, nothing can replace the certainty of legislative reform and this permanent solution can only be achieved by Congress.

The President and the religious leaders expressed their longstanding commitment to immigration reform as a moral imperative and pledged to continue to urge Congress to act on reform as soon as possible. The President thanked the faith leaders for their leadership on this issue and their tireless efforts to encourage Congress to finish the job.

List of Participants:

  • Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President
  • Melissa Rogers, Executive Director, White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships
  • Dr. Noel Castellanos, CEO, Christian Community Development Association, Chicago, IL
  • Luis Cortes, President, Esperanza, Philadelphia, PA
  • JoAnne Lyon, General Superintendent, The Wesleyan Church, Indianapolis, IN
  • Dr. Russell Moore, Southern Baptist Convention, Nashville, TN
  • Suzii Paynter, Executive Coordinator, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Atlanta, GA
  • Dieter Uchtdorf, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, North Salt Lake City, UT

Barack Obama, Readout of the President's Meeting with Faith Leaders on Commonsense Immigration Reform Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/305450

Filed Under

Categories

Attributes

Simple Search of Our Archives