Hillary Clinton promised in a speech Thursday evening that she will push to see comprehensive immigration reform passed in Congress in her first 100 days as president.
She made the pledge during an address at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s 39th Annual Gala in Washington, D.C.
“In those first 100 days, I will send a proposal for comprehensive immigration reform to the Congress. My proposal will keep families together, and it will include a path to citizenship,” she said to cheers.
“Now, I know this isn’t the first time you’ve heard it. In fact, people have been making the same promise for more than a decade. But I believe with all my heart that some things are too important to give up on. I’ve been called a lot of things; I’ve never been called a quitter,” she said.
“And in this election … we have a chance to show that comprehensive immigration reform isn’t just the smart thing to do, it’s what the American people demand. And you know how we’ll show that? Well, I hope to have a Democratic Congress next January.”
Her audience was particularly thrilled by her vow to take back Congress.
“No matter what,” Clinton continued on a softer note, “on my first day in office I will reach out to Republicans and say, this is your chance to help millions of families and show that your party, the party of Lincoln, is better than Donald Trump.”
Clinton’s promise to push through immigration reform came not long after she drew cheers from her audience by praising Hispanics for their contributions to the United States.
“We’re in the midst of Hispanic Heritage Month. In classrooms across America, children will study Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez, Julián and Joaquín Castro, Justice Sotomayor, Roberto Clemente and Laurie Hernandez, Gloria Estefan and Lin-Manuel Miranda, and countless others – names we know and names we might not know, but every one of whom has enriched this country for generations,” Clinton said.
She added, “Whether you’re Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Latin American, Afro-Latino, whether your family just arrived or has been here since before the United States even existed, you’re not strangers. You’re not intruders. You’re our neighbors, our colleagues, our friends, our families.”
She said people of Hispanic origin make the U.S. stronger and more creative.
“I want you to know that I see you and I am with you, and time and again – time and again we have seen that when we invest in the community, when we make it possible for Latinos to get the health care you need, get the education you desire, compete for jobs, start new businesses, pursue your dreams, all of America benefits,” she said.
