Hispanics Disappointed with Obama’s Speech

Hispanic organizations and leaders give a mixed reaction to President Obama’s State of the Union address, but the general tone is one of disappointment.

On one side, the National Council of la Raza – a Latino civil rights organization in the U.S. – described the speech as a ray of hope for a community that is still living with the effects of the recession.

But the Council expressed concern about how the policies announced by President Obama would be implemented, above all as they relate to immigration.

Joe Baca, president of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, complained that the president’s speech did not tackle many of the themes that are important for Latinos, like jobs, health, education and transportation. A group of Hispanics in Los Angeles were equally disappointed to hear the way in which the president approached the theme of immigration reform.

When, near the end of the speech, Obama confirmed that he would fight for immigration reform, he did not give a timeframe nor dates for resolving the situations of millions of undocumented aliens.

The principal announcement made by Obama in his State of the Union address was about job creation, and he began a tour yesterday in Florida to promote his economic message. Obama pledged that job creation will be “our number one focus in 2010.”