This afternoon, the President and the Vice President met with Latino leaders to discuss the upcoming trip to Mexico and Costa Rica. As this is the President’s fourth trip to Mexico and his sixth trip to the region, he noted that this is an important opportunity to reinforce the deep cultural, familial, and economic ties that so many Americans share with Mexico and Central America. The President said that he is looking forward to talking with Latin American leaders about our vision for the Americas as a region of shared opportunity. He emphasized that the long term trends in the hemisphere are clearly moving in the right direction, with growing middle classes, declining poverty and inequality in much of the region, and countries such as Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia taking a more active global role. At the meeting, the President made clear that immigration reform continues to be a top legislative priority this year.
Participants in the meeting included:
- David Ayon, U.S. Director, Focus Mexico/Enfoque México
- Jose Calderon, President, Hispanic Federation
- Yanira Cruz, President and CEO, National Hispanic Council on Aging
- Janet Murguia, President and CEO, National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
- Ana Navarro, CNN/CNN-E Political Contributor, National Political Advisor for Politic365.com, Republican Advisor
- Javier Palomarez, U. S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC)
- Nathalie Rayes, Executive Director, Fundación Azteca America
- Simon Rosenberg, President and Founder, NDN
- Hector Sanchez, Chair, National Hispanic Leadership Agenda
- Tom Saenz, President, Mexican-American League and Defense Educational Fund (MALDEF)
- Arturo Vargas, Executive Director, National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO)
- Brent Wilkes, Executive Director, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
- Al Zapanta, President & CEO, U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce