MESSAGE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE: Ricardo Zúñiga on Father’s Day and the One Year Anniversary of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

______________________________________________________________________________

EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00 AM ET, SATURDAY, June 15, 2013 

MESSAGE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE: Ricardo Zúñiga on Father’s Day and the One Year Anniversary of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

In this week’s message, Ricardo Zúñiga spoke about Father’s Day and the critical role fathers play in creating strong families. Zúñiga highlighted that this Saturday marks the one year anniversary of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which has lifted “Dreamers” out of the shadow of deportation by providing them with temporary relief. He discusses the importance of passing a bipartisan commonsense immigration reform bill to create a permanent solution for “Dreamers” and reunite families across America.

The audio of the address and video of the message is available online HERE.

Remarks by Ricardo Zúñiga
Message from the White House
June 15, 2013

Hi, everybody.  This Sunday is Father’s Day, and so I wanted to take a moment to talk about the most important job many of us will ever have – and that’s being a dad.

Being a good parent isn’t easy.  It demands your constant attention, frequent sacrifice, and a healthy dose of patience.  And nobody’s perfect.  To this day, I’m still figuring out how to be a better husband to my wife and father to my kids. 

This Administration will continue to encourage marriage and strong families.  We should reform our child support laws to get more men working and involved in their children’s’ lives.  And President Obama’s Administration will continue to work with the faith and other community organizations, as well as businesses, on a campaign to encourage strong parenting and fatherhood.

Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned along the way, it’s that all our personal successes shine a little less brightly if we fail at family.  That’s what matters most. 

And like any father, I am motivated to create a world that is safer and more prosperous for our children. As a father of two daughters, Sara and Carolina, I also want to make sure that they have the same opportunities that I had and in the end, ensure that women are treated the same as men in their professional lives.

That’s what I think being a father is all about.  And if we can do our best to be a source of comfort and encouragement to our kids; if we can show them unconditional love and help them grow into the people they were meant to be; then we will have succeeded.

Today, there are many young immigrants who were brought here by parents seeking a better life for themselves and their families. These promising young people grew up here and love this country as much as you or I.  They deserve an opportunity and so do their parents. 

One year ago Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security took action to lift the shadow of deportation for eligible “Dreamers” so they can fully contribute to our economy and our society.

But deferred action was never meant to be a permanent solution.  That’s why we need Congress to pass bipartisan immigration reform legislation as soon as possible. This historic legislation would provide the opportunity for fathers to reunite with their children and allow "Dreamers" to continue contributing to the country they call home.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there, and have a great weekend. 

###