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TechnoratiHe specifically noted that the "fair, practical and promising way forward" on the immigration issue is to require illegal immigrants to pay a penalty, pay taxes, learn English and "go to the back of the line behind those who played by the rules."
"The American people believe in immigration," he said. "But they also believe that we can't tolerate a situation where people come to the United States in violation of the law nor can we tolerate employers who exploit undocumented workers in order to drive down wages.
“That is the fair, practical, and promising way forward, and that's what I'm committed to passing as President of the United States,” Obama added.
Though Hispanic leaders such as Cortes hope the reform will pass this year, White House officials have done little to build up that hope.
Earlier this year, Obama administration officials told CNN that the White House is not pushing to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill this year given the state of the economy and other pressing issues. And though the president had always planned to begin discussing the matter this year the job will not likely be done this year, according to White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.
Despite the lack of a clear timeline, Esperanza and the NHCLC are calling on illegal immigrants to participate in the Census, emphasizing that the statistics determine reapportionment and political representation, and are also used for allocating federal funding for many social and economic programs that benefit the Hispanic community, along with other residents.
Additionally, Census data are used for the enforcement of civil rights and anti-discrimination laws, including the Voting Rights Act.
“A full count will help our communities move forward on the path of political empowerment, prosperity, and transformation," says Dr. Gilbert Velez, NHCLC chairman.
Aside from NHCLC and Esperanza, other groups that are informing and motivating the nearly 50 million U.S. Latinos to fully participate in the 2010 Census include Comunidad Presbiteriana Hispana & El Pozo de Jacob, The Jesse Miranda Center for Hispanic Christian Leadership, The Hispanic Mega Church Association, The Hispanic Pentecostal Congress and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Together, the groups have partnered for the ya es hora !HAGASE CONTAR! (It's Time, Make Yourself Count!) campaign as a coalition of prominent Latino organizations and national Spanish-language media.
