Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • It is great to be back in California. It is great to be with all of you. I love San Francisco.

  • (Applause.) You got great food. You got great people, beautiful scenery -- no more super

  • villains because Batkid cleaned up the streets. (Applause.) Love Batkid. (Laughter.)

  • I want to start by thanking Geetha for the wonderful introduction and the great work

  • that she's doing. Give her a big round of applause. (Applause.) I want to thank your

  • Mayor, Ed Lee. (Applause.) Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom. (Applause.) I want to recognize

  • some wonderful members of Congress who are fighting every day for the people of California

  • -- Mike Honda -- (applause) -- Eric Swalwell, Judy Chu. They are all doing great work every

  • single day. (Applause.)

  • We have a special guest, Janet Napolitano, who is now overseeing the entire UC system

  • and going to be doing a great job. (Applause.) We miss her back in Washington, but she is

  • going to be outstanding leading the University of California.

  • Now, before I begin, I want to say a few words about the news from the weekend. I'm here

  • to talk about immigration reform, but I'm also here in my capacity as Commander-in-Chief,

  • and this weekend, together with our allies and our partners, the United States reached

  • an agreement with Iran -- (applause) -- on a first step towards resolving our concerns

  • over its nuclear program.

  • Now, some of you may recall that when I first ran for President, I said it was time for

  • a new era of American leadership in the world -- one that turned the page on a decade of

  • war, and began a new era of our engagement with the world. And as President and as Commander-in-Chief,

  • I've done what I said. We ended the war in Iraq; we brought our troops home. Osama bin

  • Laden met justice; the war in Afghanistan will end next year.

  • And as the strongest, most powerful nation on the face of the Earth, we've engaged in

  • clear-eyed and principled diplomacy -- even with our adversaries -- in order to begin

  • to destroy Syria's chemical weapons and to place the first real constraints in a decade

  • on Iran's nuclear program. Because I firmly believe in what President Kennedy once said:

  • He said, "Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate." I believe

  • that. And this diplomacy, backed by the unprecedented sanctions we brought on Iran, has brought

  • us the progress that was achieved this weekend.

  • For the first time in a decade, we've halted the progress on Iran's nuclear program. Key

  • parts of the program will be rolled back. (Applause.) International inspectors will

  • have unprecedented access to Iran's nuclear-related facilities. So this will help Iran from building

  • a nuclear weapon. And over the coming months, we're going to continue our diplomacy, with

  • the goal of achieving a comprehensive solution that deals with the threat of Iran's nuclear

  • program once and for all.

  • And if Iran seizes this opportunity and chooses to join the global community, then we can

  • begin to chip away at the mistrust that's existed for many, many years between our two

  • nations.

  • None of that is going to be easy. Huge challenges remain. But we cannot close the door on diplomacy.

  • And we cannot rule out peaceful solutions to the world's problems. We cannot commit

  • ourselves to an endless cycle of conflict. And tough talk and bluster may be the easy

  • thing to do politically, but it's not the right thing for our security. It is not the

  • right thing for our security. (Applause.)

  • Now, this progress, and the potential it offers, reminds us of what is possible when the United

  • States has the courage to lead -- not just with the force of arms, but with the strength

  • of our diplomacy and our commitment to peace. That's what keeps us strong. That's what makes

  • us a beacon to the world. That's how I'll continue to lead so long as I'm President

  • of the United States.

  • And that spirit -- not just what we can criticize or tear down or be against, but what we can

  • build together -- that's what brings me here today. Because it's long past time to fix

  • our broken immigration system. (Applause.) We need to make sure Washington finishes what

  • so many Americans just like you started. We've got to finish the job.

  • And it's fitting that we're here in Chinatown, just a few miles away from Angel Island. In

  • the early 1900s, about 300,000 people -- maybe some of your ancestors -- passed through on

  • their way to a new life in America. And for many, it represented the end of a long and

  • arduous journey -- they'd finally arrived in a place where they believed anything was

  • possible.

  • And for some, it also represented the beginning of a new struggle against prejudice in a country

  • that didn't always treat its immigrants fairly or afford them the same rights as everybody

  • else. Obviously, Asians faced this, but so did the Irish; so did Italians; so did Jews;

  • and many groups still do today.

  • That didn't stop those brave men and women from coming. They were drawn by a belief in

  • the power of opportunity; in a belief that says, maybe I never had a chance at a good

  • education, but this is a place where my daughter can go to college. Maybe I started out washing

  • dishes, but this is a place where my son can become mayor of San Francisco. (Applause.)

  • Maybe I have to make sacrifices today, but those sacrifices are worth it if it means

  • a better life for my family.

  • And that's a family story that will be shared by millions of Americans around the table

  • on Thursday. It's the story that drew my great-great-great-great-grandfather from a small village in Ireland, and drew

  • my father from a small village in Kenya. It's the story that drew so many of your ancestors

  • here -- that America is a place where you can make it if you try.

  • And here's something interesting: Today, more than one in four residents born outside the

  • United States came here from Asian countries -- many through our family immigration system.

  • They're doctors and business owners, laborers, refugees. This rec center's namesake, Betty

  • Ong, was a hero on 9/11. (Applause.) But she was also the daughter of immigrants who grew

  • up not far from here. And we're honored to have her family with us here today. (Applause.)

  • But too often when we talk about immigration, the debate focuses on our southern border.

  • The fact is we're blessed with immigrants from all over the world who've put down roots

  • in every corner of this country. Here in San Francisco, 35 percent of business owners are

  • immigrants -- and your economy is among the fastest growing in the country. That's not

  • an accident. That's the impact that our talented, hardworking immigrants can have. That's the

  • difference they can make. They're hungry and they're striving and they're working hard

  • and they're creating things that weren't there before.

  • And that's why it is long past time to reform an immigration system that right now doesn't

  • serve America as well as it should. We could be doing so much more to unleash our potential

  • if we just fix this aspect of our system.

  • And I know out here in California that you watch the news and you share the country's

  • not very sunny view of Washington these days. For the last few months, you've seen a lot

  • of headlines about gridlock and partisan bickering, and too often one faction of one party in

  • one house of Congress has chosen courses of action that ended up harming our businesses,

  • or our economy, or our workers. Or they want to refight old political battles rather than

  • create jobs and grow the economy and strengthen the middle class, or take 40 more votes to

  • undermine or repeal the Affordable Care Act -- (laughter) -- instead of passing a single

  • serious jobs bill, despite the fact that Americans want us to focus on jobs and business and

  • growth. And, by the way, thousands of Californians are signing up every day for new health care

  • plans all across this state. (Applause.)

  • So even as we're getting this darn website up to speed -- (laughter) -- and it's getting

  • better -- states like California are proving the law works. People want the financial security

  • of health insurance.

  • AUDIENCE MEMBER: Thanks to you!

  • THE PRESIDENT: And even if you're already insured, reach out to a friend or neighbor

  • who's not and help them get covered.

  • But when it comes to immigration reform, we have to have the confidence to believe we

  • can get this done. And we should get it done. And, by the way, most Americans agree. The

  • only thing standing in our way right now is the unwillingness of certain Republicans in

  • Congress to catch up with the rest of the country.

  • I met the other day with the CEOs of some of America's biggest companies. And I'm positive

  • not all of them voted for me. (Laughter.) I'm pretty sure. (Laughter.) Maybe some of

  • them, but definitely not all of them. But the thing they wanted to talk about, their

  • top priority was the fact that we invite the brightest minds from around the world to study

  • here -- many of them enrolled in the University of California system -- and then we don't

  • invite them to stay. We end up sending them home to create new jobs and start new businesses

  • someplace else. So we're training our own competition, rather than invite those incredibly

  • talented young people, like Geetha, to stay here and start businesses and create jobs

  • here.

  • I hear from folks who've been separated from their families for years because of green

  • card backlogs who desperately want their loved ones to be able to join them here in America.

  • I hear from young DREAMers who are Americans through and through in every way but on paper,

  • and they just want a chance to study and serve and contribute to the nation that they love.

  • (Applause.)

  • I talk to business owners who play by the rules, but get frustrated because they end

  • up being undercut by those who exploit workers in a shadow economy -- aren't getting paid

  • overtime, aren't required to meet the same obligations. And so those companies end up

  • losing out on business.

  • Right now, I'm seeing brave advocates who have been fasting for two weeks in the shadow

  • of the Capitol, sacrificing themselves in an effort to get Congress to act. And I want

  • to say to Eliseo Medina, my friend from SEIU, and the other fasters who are there as we

  • speak, I want them to know we hear you. We're with you. The whole country hears you.

  • And there are plenty of leaders --- Democrat and Republican --- who don't think it's fair

  • that we've got 11 million people in this country, including more than a million from Asia, with

  • no real way to come forward and get on the right side of the law. It's not smart. It's

  • not fair. It doesn't make sense. And we have kicked this particular can down the road long

  • enough. Everybody knows it.

  • Now, the good news is we know what the solutions are. There is bipartisan hope of getting it

  • done. This year, the Senate passed an immigration reform bill by a wide, bipartisan majority,

  • and it addresses the key issues that need to be addressed. It would strengthen our borders.

  • It would level the playing field by holding employers accountable if they knowingly hire

  • undocumented workers. It would modernize our legal immigration system so that we eliminate

  • the backlog of family visas and make it easier to attract highly skilled entrepreneurs from

  • beyond our borders. It would make sure that everybody plays by the same rules by providing

  • a pathway to earned citizenship for those who are living in the shadows --- a path that

  • includes passing a background check, and learning English, and paying taxes and a penalty, and

  • getting in line behind everyone trying to come here the right way.

  • And each of these pieces would go a long way towards fixing our broken immigration system.

  • Each of them has been supported by Democrats and Republicans in the past. There's no reason

  • we can't come together and get it done.

  • And what's more, we know the immigration reform that we're proposing would boost our economy

  • and shrink our deficits. Independent economists have said that if the Senate bill became law,

  • over the next two decades, our economy would grow by $1.4 trillion more, and it would reduce

  • our deficits by $850 billion more.

  • And you don't have to be an economist to figure out that workers will be more productive if

  • they've got their families here with them, they're not worried about deportation, they're

  • not living halfway around the world. This isn't just the right thing to do --- it's

  • the smart thing to do.

  • Of course, just because something is smart, fair, good for the economy, and supported

  • by business, labor, law enforcement and faith leaders -- (laughter) -- Democratic and Republican

  • governors, including the Governor of this state --- just because all that is in place

  • doesn't mean we'll actually get it done, because this is Washington, after all, that we're

  • talking about and everything is looked through a political prism. And, look, let's be honest,

  • some folks automatically think, well, if Obama's for it, then I've got to be against it even

  • if I was, before that, I was for it.

  • But I want to remind everybody, to his great credit, my Republican predecessor, President

  • Bush, was for reform. He proposed reform like this almost a decade ago. I was in the Senate.

  • I joined 23 Senate Republicans back then supporting reform. It's worth remembering that the Senate

  • bill that just passed won more than a dozen Republican votes this past summer. And some

  • of them even forget that I'm -- sometimes people forget I'm not running for office again.

  • Michelle doesn't forget. (Laughter and applause.) So you don't have to worry about this somehow

  • being good for me. This is good for the country. It's the right thing to do for the American

  • people.

  • And I believe, ultimately -- not always in the short term -- but ultimately, good policy

  • is good politics. Look at the polls right now, because the American people support immigration

  • reform by a clear majority. Everybody wins if we get this done. So there's no reason

  • we shouldn't get immigration reform done right now. None. If there is a good reason I haven't

  • heard it.

  • And, by the way, if there's a better plan out there than the one that Democrats and

  • Republicans have already advanced together, if there are additional ideas that would make

  • it even better, I'm always willing to listen to new ideas. My door is always open. But

  • right now it's up to Republicans in the House to decide if we can move forward as a country

  • on this bill. If they don't want to see it happen, they've got to explain why.

  • The good news is, just this past week Speaker Boehner said that he is "hopeful we can make

  • progress" on immigration reform. And that is good news. I believe the Speaker is sincere.

  • I think he genuinely wants to get it done. And that's something we should be thankful

  • for this week. And I think there are a number of other House Republicans who also want to

  • get this done. Some of them are hesitant to do it in one big bill, like the Senate did.

  • That's okay. They can -- it's Thanksgiving; we can carve that bird into multiple pieces.

  • (Laughter.) A drumstick here -- (laughter) -- breast meat there. But as long as all the

  • pieces get done -- soon -- and we actually deliver on the core values we've been talking

  • about for so long, I think everybody is fine with it. They're not worried about the procedures.

  • They just want the result.

  • But it's going to require some courage. There are some members of the Republican caucus

  • who think this is bad politics for them back home. And they're free to vote their conscience,

  • but what I've said to the Speaker and others is, don't let a minority of folks block something

  • that the country desperately needs. And we can't leave this problem for another generation

  • to solve. If we don't tackle this now, then we're undercutting our own future.

  • So my message to Congress is rather than create problems, let's prove Washington can get something

  • done. This is something that has broad-based support. We've been working on it for a decade

  • now. This reform comes as close as we've gotten to something that will benefit everybody,

  • now and for decades to come. And it has the potential to enrich this country in ways that

  • we can't even imagine.

  • And I'll just give you one example to wrap up. Andrew Ly is here today. Where's Andrew?

  • He's around here somewhere. There he is. Now, Andrew has got an amazing story. Andrew grew

  • up in Vietnam, and he and his four brothers tried three times to flee to the United States.

  • Obviously, the country was going through all kinds of difficulties. So three times, they

  • tried; three times, they failed. On the fourth try, their boat --- filled with 140 refugees

  • -- is that right, Andrew --- was attacked by pirates.

  • But the Lys and their family eventually made it to Malaysia, and then they eventually made

  • it here to San Francisco. And they learned English, and they worked as handymen, and

  • they worked as seamstresses. And eventually, Andrew and his brothers earned enough money

  • to buy a small bakery. And they started making donuts, and they started selling them to Chinese

  • restaurants. And with a lot of hard work and a little luck, the Sugar Bowl Bakery today

  • is a $60 million business. (Applause.)

  • So these humble and striving immigrants from Vietnam now employ more than 300 Americans.

  • They're supplying pastries to Costco and Safeway, and almost every hotel and hospital in San

  • Francisco. And I don't know if Andrew brought me any samples, but -- (laughter) -- they

  • must be pretty good. (Laughter.)

  • And Andrew says, "We came here as boat people, so we don't take things for granted. We know

  • this is the best country in the world if you work hard." That's what America is about.

  • This is the place where you can reach for something better if you work hard. This is

  • the country our parents and our grandparents and waves of immigrants before them built

  • for us. And it falls on each new generation to keep it that way. The Statue of Liberty

  • doesn't have its back to the world. The Statue of Liberty faces the world and raises its

  • light to the world.

  • When Chinese immigrants came to this city in search of "Gold Mountain," they weren't

  • looking just for physical riches. They were looking for freedom and opportunity. They

  • knew that what makes us American is not a question of what we look like or what our

  • names are -- because we look like the world. You got a President named Obama. (Laughter

  • and applause.) What makes us American is our shared belief in certain enduring principles,

  • our allegiance to a set of ideals, to a creed, to the enduring promise of this country.

  • And our shared responsibility is to leave this country more generous, more hopeful than

  • we found it. And if we stay true to that history -- if we get immigration reform across the

  • finish line -- and it is there just within our grasp, if we can just get folks in Washington

  • to go ahead and do what needs to be done -- we're going to grow our economy; we're going to

  • make our country more secure; we'll strengthen our families; and most importantly, we will

  • live --

  • AUDIENCE MEMBER: Mr. Obama --

  • THE PRESIDENT: -- most importantly, we will live up --

  • AUDIENCE MEMBER: -- my family has been separated for 19 months now --

  • THE PRESIDENT: -- most importantly, we will live up to our character as a nation.

  • AUDIENCE MEMBER: I've not seen my family. Our families are separated. I need your help.

  • There are thousands of people --

  • THE PRESDIENT: That's exactly what we're talking about.

  • AUDIENCE MEMBER: -- are torn apart every single day.

  • THE PRESIDENT: That's why we're here.

  • AUDIENCE MEMBER: Mr. President, please use your executive order to halt deportations

  • for all 11.5 undocumented immigrants in this country right now.

  • THE PRESIDENT: What we're trying --

  • AUDIENCE MEMBER: Do you agree

  • AUDIENCE: Obama! Obama! Obama!

  • AUDIENCE MEMBER: -- that we need to pass comprehensive immigration reform at the same time we -- you

  • have a power to stop deportation for all undocumented immigrants in this country.

  • THE PRESIDENT: Actually I don't. And that's why we're here.

  • AUDIENCE MEMBER: So, please, I need your help.

  • THE PRESIDENT: Okay --

  • AUDIENCE MEMBER: Stop deportations!

  • AUDIENCE MEMBER: Stop deportations!

  • THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. All right.

  • AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Stop deportations! Stop deportations!

  • THE PRESIDENT: What I'd like to do -- no, no, don't worry about it, guys. Okay, let

  • me finish.

  • AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Stop deportations! Yes, we can! Stop deportations!

  • THE PRESIDENT: These guys don't need to go. Let me finish. No, no, no, he can stay there.

  • Hold on a second. (Applause.) Hold on a second.

  • So I respect the passion of these young people because they feel deeply about the concerns

  • for their families. Now, what you need to know, when I'm speaking as President of the

  • United States and I come to this community, is that if, in fact, I could solve all these

  • problems without passing laws in Congress, then I would do so.

  • But we're also a nation of laws. That's part of our tradition. And so the easy way out

  • is to try to yell and pretend like I can do something by violating our laws. And what

  • I'm proposing is the harder path, which is to use our democratic processes to achieve

  • the same goal that you want to achieve. But it won't be as easy as just shouting. It requires

  • us lobbying and getting it done. (Applause.)

  • So for those of you who are committed to getting this done, I am going to march with you and

  • fight with you every step of the way to make sure that we are welcoming every striving,

  • hardworking immigrant who sees America the same way we do -- as a country where no matter

  • who you are or what you look like or where you come from, you can make it if you try.

  • And if you're serious about making that happen, then I'm ready to work with you. (Applause.)

  • But it is going to require work. It is not simply a matter of us just saying we're going

  • to violate the law. That's not our tradition. The great thing about this country is we have

  • this wonderful process of democracy, and sometimes it is messy, and sometimes it is hard, but

  • ultimately, justice and truth win out. That's always been the case in this country; that's

  • going to continue to be the case today. (Applause.)

  • Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. God bless America. (Applause.)

It is great to be back in California. It is great to be with all of you. I love San Francisco.

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it