Photo: Pete Souza/Casa Blanca

Washington Hispanic was one of the Hispanic means of communication invited to the White House. His president, Johnny Yataco along with other companions they were with the president Barack Obama to discuss be afraid that they affect the Hispanic community.

Mitzi Mace
Washington Hispanic

The president Barack Obama turned into representatives' host of 10 more influential Hispanic means of communication, between which there was Washington Hispanic, which were invited to the White House on Friday, the 7th of August. During approximately 35 minutes the president Barack Obama talked, with the serene touch and amical that characterizes it, with each of the members of the press on the topics that affect the Hispanic community, where it pointed out openly that it is compromised by an integral migratory reform, but that one will not see in the Congress until 2010.
“ To be selected to sit down along with the president and to be able to ask him opposite to front on the problems that affect us is a big privilege and a big responsibility towards our readership”, stood out the president of Washington Hispanic, Johnny Yataco, who was the maker of starting a smile to the president on having asked him: If it had a crystal ball for when would a migratory reform be approved?.
Before the question, the chief answered “If it should have a ball crystal he would be a very popular president... and richly”. Later he added “I cannot predict his approval. We will do a very strong effort on the migratory reform at the beginning of next year... I believe that we will see the making of the draft of a project of law for ends of 2009”.
In the outskirts of the White House there are hundreds of tourists, as always trying to immortalize his step along one of the most important structures of the world. We were there last Friday, the 7th, but to be present at what we think it would be a conference like those that the chief is accustomed to giving in the famous room of press of the White House, surrounded with hundreds of journalists. We are wrong.
The White House had summoned 10 of the most important Hispanic mass media of the United States and Washington Hispanic it was between them.
On having divided equally it 1:45 of the evening, they communicated to us that the appointment with the president would be in one of the lounges of the White House and not in the press room.
The summoned means, between which there were finding The Opinion about, The New Day of Puerto Rico, Univision-Nacional, New Average America, the agencies EFE, Reuters, Notimex and Hispanic Link, we happened with the surprise of which we would be seated with the President in a desk ("roundtable") and which the seats were already assigned to each of the presents. Once inside the quarter I happened with the surprise that along with my name, in the way of the table, nearby right, there was no name, supposed talvez that the seat would be for one of his advisers.
The president entered to the quarter and after three steps it was already opposite to me, out of the corner of the eye it looks at my name on the table, extends his hand and greets: "Hello Johnny: how are you?”, “very well president”, I answered him. The prosigue to greet others nine guests, and it sits down to my right.
In more than 30 minutes we talk on very important topics for the administration Obama in relation to our community like the migratory reform, health, housing and international relations.

Photo: Pete Souza/Casa Blanca

Journalists of different Hispanic means shared a round table with the president Obama to speak about important topics for the Hispanic community that lives in the United States. Between the guests Maria Peña were, EFE News Services; Antonieta Cadiz, The Opinion; Johnny Yataco of Washington Hispanic; Dra. Aliza of Univision-Nacional; José de la Isla de Hispanic Link; agencies Reuters, Notimex and The New Day of Puerto Rico, between others.

Other interest topics
Also during the meeting the president had opportunity to mention on his plan to reform the system of health, the mortgage crisis, the economic situation, the approach of his administration on the migratory control and on the most excellent points of the reality in Latin America, like the struggle against the terrorism and the drug trafficking, as well as the preservation of the democracy.
Thinking that after the appointment of Janet Napolitano like safety head of department He Interns the raids they have continued and programs have been extended like 287 (g) that trains the local police to exercise functions of agents of immigration showed that “They Worry less of there do persons' criminals who simply are looking for work. Our administration worries more of fighting with real criminals and employers that workpeople exploit and in finding mechanisms where we could provide finally a way to give legal status to the persons who at present are in the country”.
In this frame the president Obama also admitted that extracting of the shades more than 12 million undocumented persons will have to wait until first there should be achieved a reform of the system of health and of the regulations to control the financial system.
Blow in Honduras was "illegal"
On the analysis of what happens in Latin America, the chief recognized that the blow military in Honduras that dismissed the president Manuel Zelaya was "illegal", but at the same time he regretted without having “a button” for restore it in the power.
The same way it qualified of “ironic“ that now criticize it for not intervening in a more direct way in the crisis that crosses Honduras and repeated that his government thinks about how to press the bonds hard with the region without "dictating" what happens with “our neighbors”.
As for the drug trafficker violence that crosses Mexico, the President Obama pointed out that the military answer of the president Calderón is “an act of valor”, but he did not comment if the Mexican government must continue or not with this strategy, but he noticed that the government, military men and the police must work as a whole in an effective way “to qualify to his personnel and to expire at the highest levels of the due process and the respect to the human rights”.