A White House Commitment to Immigration Reform

By Rachel Tiven on 05/11/2011 @ 09:59 AM

Yesterday, President Obama delivered a much-anticipated address to kick off a renewed White House campaign for comprehensive immigration reform. The President delivered his address in Texas, and outlined his vision for a comprehensive reform package that includes a strong commitment to immigrant families.

In his remarks, the President called for immigration laws that will reunite families “more quickly, rather than splitting them apart,” adding that, “I don’t believe the United States should be in the business of separating families. That’s not right.”

We are disappointed that the President didn’t refer to LGBT families directly, and we will keep up the pressure on the White House to make sure that any immigration reform effort does include all families.

We’re glad to see the President stepping up efforts to fix our broken immigration system. We’re glad to hear him talk about an end to family separation. Now, we look forward to working with him, and other leaders, on a concrete plan that includes our families, too. It’s time for everyone to get into the business of reforming our laws in a way that unites, rather than separates, loved ones. That’s the right thing to do, and the goal we remain committed to.

White House Photo, Lawrence Jackson, 5/10/11