By Evangelina Garcia
February 13, 2012

Conference of Mayors President Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa was honored for his public service from the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) in Washington (DC). Villaraigosa, who was presented with the 2012 Edward R. Roybal Award for Outstanding Public Leadership, delivered strong remarks focused on hot-button issues including immigration reform, education and Congressional inaction.

The mayor opened his remarks by thanking leaders of NALEO for their advocacy and leadership efforts over the past four decades, which have led to a change in the political landscape and more Latinos and Latinas serving on city councils and chair town boards than ever before.

At the top of his remarks, Villaraigosa said that last year, America reached an important milestone. For the first time in our country’s history, the numbers of white children and children of color being born were roughly equal. “This transformation causes some to talk about a clash of civilizations. They worry that our growing diversity makes it hard to find common ground and define the common good. But we know better, because America has thrived on this diversity and our story is about working together,” he said.

According to Villaraigosa, the country has experienced an impressive growth and expansion of the Latino middle class. And it is not just those who have been here for generations that are climbing higher on the ladder of success. Those new to our shores are gaining success too. Back in 1990, under ten percent of Latinos who had recently arrived owned their own homes. Less than two decades later, over half now do. As a tireless education advocate, Villaraigosa added, “More and more Hispanic children are going to college. From 2009 to 2010, the number of Latino students on college campuses jumped by over 345,000.”

In addressing the challenges that cities have faced under the Great Recession, he said the Latino community was among the hardest hit. When the housing bubble burst and the financial sector crashed, Latino household wealth fell by two-thirds. In December, the Latino unemployment rate was still in double digits at 11 percent. “The poverty rate has increased among Latinos faster than among other groups. More Latino children are now in poverty than any other ethnic or racial group,” he said.

On the issue of immigration, the mayor said that both Democrats and Republicans have recognized that our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed. Villaraigosa added that we must pass comprehensive immigration reform, a tradition that until recently was a bipartisan one that ran from Ronald Reagan to Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. “We can’t let every proposal for a path to citizenship be drowned out by a knee-jerk chorus of opposition. We can’t be a country where ‘Show me your papers’ is routinely heard on our sidewalks and in our streets,” he said.

Villaraigosa reminded the crowd that America was built by immigrants, where they were told that “if you work hard, play by the rules and believe in this country, you will be rewarded.”

“The 11 million people who work the hardest and do the hardest work, but who are forced to live in the shadows are counting on us. There is not a single problem that we face as a nation that will be solved by deporting millions of hard-working, law-abiding people who’ve done nothing except reaffirm the American dream again and again,” he added.

Delivering his speech only a few blocks from the nation’s Capitol building, Villaraigosa called on Congress to extend the payroll tax cut before the month is up. “Now is not the time to raise the taxes on millions of working families, including millions of Latino working families. Let’s finally get the DREAM Act passed, so that all deserving students regardless of their status have a fair shot at the American Dream.”

Villaraigosa said that Los Angeles welcomes more tourists from Mexico than from any other country and emphasized that tourism thrives due to tourists visiting from the neighboring country. Mexico is now America’s third most important commercial partner and the Mexican market is the second largest for US exports. “The border is busy, but it is busy with the flow of tourists and trade. For too long, opponents of reform have raised the border alarm. They’ve used the issue of enforcement to block progress in creating a pathway to citizenship and improving the system of legal immigration. That excuse is now off the table,” he added.

In closing remarks, Villaraigosa stressed the importance and value of honoring our culturally diverse nation. “Our country has always inspired strong feelings in the rest of the world. And those who look to us are most inspired when we are true to our founding spirit. America’s song sounds the sweetest when sung by many different voices,” he said.