Obama Speaks Spanish in New Ad, Calls Undocumented Students an Inspiration

President Barack Obama features undocumented immigrants in a new campaign ad that he does entirely in Spanish.  Titled “Buen Ejemplo,” which means “good example” in Spanish, Obama touts young undocumented immigrants known as DREAMers as people he admires and who inspire him. Their drive and determination, the ad suggests, serve as a good model for everyone.

Obama in June announced a new initiative that involved suspending deportation for two years for undocumented immigrants between ages 15 and 31 who were brought as minors and who have no criminal record, among other things. The initiative, known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, also offered the chance to obtain work permits.

Romney has said that as president he would end DACA as soon as he assumes office.

In the ad, which features scenes of undocumented students and their parents, Obama says: “In the young people known as DREAMers, I see the same qualities Michelle and I try to instill in our daughters. They respect their parents, they study for a better life, and they want to give back to the only country they know and love."

“As a father, they inspire me. And as President, their courage reminds me that no obstacle is too great. No road too long. Onward!”

“Buen Ejemplo” is airing on radio and television in Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia, all battleground states in what now indicates will be a close election.

The release of the ad, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time, coincided with a media conference call, organized by the Obama campaign, that featured Benita Veliz, an undocumented immigrant and DREAMer who was a speaker at the Democratic National Convention in September, and U.S. Sen. Harry Reid , Nevada Democrat, drawing contrasts between Romney and Obama on the fate of DREAMers.

Both the Obama and Romney campaigns have been courting Latino voters, about 12 million of whom are expected to turn out to vote on Nov. 6. That turnout would be an increase of 26 percent from the 9.7 million who voted in 2008. Political experts say Romney would need 40 percent of Latino voters to win, and Obama would need 60 percent.

On Monday, Obama honored the legacy of the late civil rights and labor leader Cesar Chavez, whose “Si se puede” (“Yes, we can”) cry the president adopted as his campaign mantra. The president was in California Monday to participate in the dedication ceremony for the Cesar Chavez National Monument in California, a move that was seen as a way to win the good will of Latino voters.

Both Romney and Obama have made frequent trips to battleground states, including Florida, Nevada and Colorado, where Latinos could swing the vote.

The Romney campaign responded to a request for comment to Obama’s new ad with a statement that said:  “President Obama had nearly four years to make good on his promise of immigration reform, but he has failed to do so and would rather play politics with this important issue."

“Mitt Romney will work in a bipartisan manner to achieve a long-term solution to our broken immigration system."

On Tuesday, the Romney campaign also put out a television ad, with a narrator speaking in Spanish, that says, according to a press release describing it, “The Hispanic community has worked hard to achieve the American Dream, but the President’s policies are hurting the growth of small businesses.”

It goes on to praise the entrepreneurial spirit of Latinos and vows that Romney will be the better candidate for strengthening small business growth.

Polls of likely Latino voters show that jobs and the economy are far more important issues to them when it comes to deciding on which candidate to support, but that the way immigration is discussed still matters.  More than three-fourths of Latinos polled by Fox News Latino earlier this year said they support the DREAM Act.

SOURCE






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