With the heated debate over government expenditure once more on the backburner, for the moment at least, President Barack Obama has again been making immigration reform his number one priority. The President has spent much of the first few days of November courting constituents, legislators and business leaders in a bid to sway public opinion toward supporting measures that would overhaul the US immigration system and include a pathway to citizenship.
Obama started his most recent push for immigration reform by holding a meeting with Vice President Joe Biden along with the chief executive officers from a host of big American corporations on November 5th. The President is hoping that getting those in charge of these corporations – including Lockheed Martin, McDonalds, State Farm and Motorola – to support immigration reform will convince conservative voters and legislators to reach a solution that will benefit all.
Obama has also placed particular emphasis on the importance of immigration reform in relation to continued economic growth in the United States, particularly given how reliant the country is on immigrant labor. The President’s campaign will continue on Friday November 8th, when he will make an appearance at the Port of New Orleans, one of the Department of Homeland Security’s major hubs.
The Times-Picayune says that Obama will make a speech about how important exports are to the economic engine of the United States, and highlight the crucial role played by immigrants in producing goods for the US to sell abroad.