President Barack Obama presents chef José Andrés with the Outstanding American by Choice award at a White House ceremony this morning. At right is Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. (Jerry Hagstrom/The Hagstrom Report)

President Barack Obama honored immigrant chef José Andrés in a Fourth of July ceremony at the White House today, while immigration reform advocates vowed to continue pushing the House to pass a bill, even though Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told Obama last week that the House will not take up an immigration reform bill this year.

At a naturalization ceremony that has been an Obama administration Fourth of July tradition, 25 people were sworn in as citizens: 15 foreign-born active duty members of the armed services, two veterans, one reservist and seven military spouses.

The new citizens came from 15 countries: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Jamaica, Nigeria, Panama, the Philippines, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, and Ukraine.

After the swearing-in conducted by Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Obama praised the new citizens for serving the United States in the military before becoming citizens and for choosing U.S. citizenship.

In his only reference to the immigration battle, Obama added, “We shouldn’t be making it harder for the best and the brightest to come here. We should be making it easier.”

José Andrés
After the ceremony, Obama honored Andrés, a celebrity chef, restaurant owner and healthier eating activist as the Outstanding American by Choice.

The award is granted annually by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service to recognize “outstanding achievements of naturalized U.S. citizens who have demonstrated their commitment to our country and to the common civic values that unite us as Americans through their civic participation, professional achievements and contributions,” according to a White House news release.

Andrés, who grew up in Spain, became a naturalized citizen last November after living in the United States for 23 years.

Mayorkas noted that in addition to establishing restaurants in Washington and other cities, Andrés began volunteering with DC Central Kitchen, a provider of recycled food and meals to low-income people, 20 years ago and is its chairman emeritus.

Andrés also serves as chair of the L.A. Kitchen, has established his own World Central Kitchen, and has helped First Lady Michelle Obama with her “Let’s Move” campaign against childhood obesity.

His restaurants in Washington are Zaytinya, Jaleo, Minibar and America Eats Tavern, and he also runs restaurants in California, Nevada, Florida and Puerto Rico.

On May 18, he received an honorary doctorate from George Washington University and served as the university’s commencement speaker. He has announced plans to teach a course on food and civilization at GW, where former Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan is now executive director of sustainability.

Obama also invited the new citizens and their families to the White House this evening for a barbecue and to watch the fireworks.

Push for immigration reform continues

Meanwhile, immigration reform groups have announced they are continuing their campaign to convince House Republicans that they should bring up immigration reform or face voters’ anger at the polls.

The American Farm Bureau Federation, Western Growers and AmericanHort have announced they will be among the groups that will join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers at a news conference Wednesday to release a new poll on Americans’ views on immigration reform and launch a day of action for immigration reform.

Western Growers CEO Tom Nassif, a former Republican ambassador, will be among the speakers at the news conference. The Chamber said there would be events in more than 40 congressional districts across 20 states calling on Congress to act on immigration reform this year.

Jim Mulhern
National Milk Producers Federation President and CEO Jim Mulhern also said last week, “It is very frustrating for America’s dairy farmers that our elected officials could not set aside partisan politics this year in order to finally address the dysfunctional policy of our immigration system.”

“The irony is that virtually everyone on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue admits the status quo is unacceptable; yet we seem destined to continue suffering from it, because common-sense reforms remain beyond our reach,” Mulhern said.

“The reality is that most major public policy controversies take multiple efforts, by a variety of stakeholders working together in common cause, to finally make things happen. Immigration reform will happen. It is only a matter of time. We remain committed to that effort.”

The United Farm Workers also said it will help target 16 Republican House members they believe should support immigration reform and that they will issue a legislative scorecard for those members. The groups scheduled visits to those members’ offices last Wednesday.

United Farm Workers President Arturo Rodriguez, who spoke on behalf of UFW members who gathered outside the office of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said “No one should know better about the importance of immigration reform than our new House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. But he has decided against calling for a vote on immigration reform this year. Mr. McCarthy, you have neglected your duty as a leader of Congress and your constituents and the country deserves a vote.”

The Democratic-controlled Senate has passed an immigration reform bill, but the Republican-controlled House has declined to take up immigration reform even in a piecemeal fashion.

Boehner has said that the House does not trust Obama to enforce immigration law, but other Republicans have said they fear that immigrants will vote Democratic and endanger the future of the Republican party.

Obama said last week he would use executive action to avoid some deportations while Boehner said he wants the House to sue Obama over his use of executive actions on the grounds that the president has gone beyond his authority.

▪ José Andrés ThinkFoodGroup
▪ The Washington Post — José Andrés thinks food can fix the world, starting in Haiti
▪ Alliance for Citizenship