Obama visited Polish Center in Chicago

[Jaga]

Pres. Obama visited Copernicus Center in Chicago as a part of pro-immigration support. He mentioned Polish illegal immigrants in his speech last week:

politics.suntimes.com/article/chicago/obama-chicago-ferguson-immigration-transcript/tue-11252014-1015pm


.... Now, it is fitting that I've come here, back home to Chicago. Because Chicago has always been a city of immigrants. And that’s still true in the neighborhoods that define this city. (Applause.) Especially on the North Side up here. I mean, there’s -- (laughter.) We got everything up here. (Laughter.)

No, you go to the public schools around here and you got 50, 60, 70 different languages being spoken. From Andersonville to Chinatown; from Devon to Greektown; Pilsen to Ukrainian Village -- immigrants have made this city of broad shoulders their home. We are Swedish and Polish and German and Italian. Everybody is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. (Laughter and applause.) ....

[Jaga]

more from the speech today:

Today, we’re here at a Polish community center, and I just -- (applause.) I was just meeting with a group of Chicago’s business and civic leaders, representing people who come here from Mexico and China and Poland and Ireland.

You just heard Billy Lawless, who was a successful business owner back in Galway. But, he says -- and I'm quoting here -- “I had a thing for the United States. I always wanted to see if I could hack it with you guys.” And so, 16 years ago, Billy comes to Chicago, opens up an Irish pub -- because there was a shortage of Irish pubs in Chicago. (Laughter and applause.) Then he opened another restaurant, then another, and then another. And four months ago, Billy and his wife became American citizens, and they voted for the very first time as Americans on November 4th. And you can often find their son, also named Billy, charming the heck out of customers at all hours of the day and night. Together they’ve gone from employing 10 workers to employing more than 250 workers.

And you just heard what Billy said -- “This is what we immigrants do.” One study a few years ago found that immigrants start more than a quarter of all new businesses in the United States -- one-quarter of them. Another study found that immigrants and their children start over 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies. Think about that. But it makes sense, because being a nation of immigrants gives us this huge entrepreneurial advantage over other nations. If you are willing to strike out, go to someplace new, build from scratch -- you’ve got that sense of being willing to take risks and being able to build something from scratch -- you have that spirit, that's part of what the American spirit is all about. It's part of what drove us westward across the frontier -- not feeling like what’s in front of you is the only thing that's possible, but that something else is possible.

And because of those businesses started by immigrants, we all benefit. It means more jobs. It means more growth for everybody.

Now, as I said last week, our immigration system has been broken for a long time. Families who try to come here the right way can get stuck in line for years. Business owners who treat their employees right often see the competition exploit undocumented workers to undercut businesses. All of us, I think, don't like the idea that anybody can reap the rewards of living in America without its responsibilities. And there are people who desperately want to embrace those responsibilities, but they have no way of coming out of the shadows and getting right with the law. So everybody is stuck with a system that doesn’t work for anybody.