Pres. Obama: "We didn’t raise the Statue of Liberty with its back to the world."

It makes no sense to expel talented young people, who, for all intents and purposes, are Americans. They’ve been raised as Americans and know this nation as their own. To expel these young people who want to staff our labs, or start new businesses, or defend our country simply because of the actions of their parents or because of the inaction of politicians makes no sense.

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Precisely because this is temporary, Congress needs to act. There is still time for Congress to pass the DREAM Act this year, because deserving young people should be able to plan their lives in more than two-year increments. And we still need to pass comprehensive immigration reform that addresses our 21st century economic and security needs.

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Just six years ago, the unlikely trio of John McCain, Ted Kennedy and President Bush came together to champion this kind of reform. I was proud to join 23 Republicans in voting for it. So there’s no reason that we can’t come together and get this done.

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We didn’t raise the Statue of Liberty with its back to the world. We raised it with its light to the world. What makes us American is not a question of what we look like or what our names are. What makes us American is our shared belief in the enduring promise of this country – and our shared responsibility to leave it more generous and more hopeful than we found it.

more:
http://ideas.time.com/2012/06/17/a-nation-of-laws-and-a-nation-of-immigrants/#ixzz1y93wHDVQ
via: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/19/1101347/-Pres-Obama-We-didn-t-raise-the-Statue-of-Liberty-with-its-back-to-the-world