President Obama Calls for Action on Immigration Reform, Help for Syrians, in his State of the Union Address

Last night, President Obama addressed both immigration reform and the crisis in Syria during his State of the Union Address. On immigration reform, he gave a compelling economic argument, declaring that “if we are serious about economic growth, it is time to heed the call of business leaders, labor leaders, faith leaders, and law enforcement—and fix our broken immigration system,” and noting that economists claim there will be a $1 trillion deficit decrease if Congress enacts immigration reform. With regard to Syria, the President’s message was that the United States “will continue to work with the international community to usher in the future the Syrian people deserve—a future free of dictatorship, terror and fear.” This sentiment touches the Syrian refugee crisis at its heart—that the United States must act to prevent more suffering on behalf of the Syrian people living within and outside of the war-torn country.