President Obama visits activists fasting for immigration

President Barack Obama shakes hands with supporters after speaking about immigration reform in the East Room of the White House on Oct. 24. Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Friday told activists who are fasting to protest House inaction on immigration legislation that their “commitment to change” ultimately will help pressure lawmakers to act.

On the day after the U.S. holiday marked by an abundance of food, Obama stopped in at a heated, white tent on the National Mall where some activists have drunk only water since Nov. 12 in support of immigration legislation.

Obama mentioned the activists in an immigration speech in San Francisco earlier this week. He delivered his message in person on Friday, accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama.

The White House issued a statement after the approximately 40-minute visit saying that Obama thanked the hunger strikers “for their sacrifice and dedication and told them that the country is behind them on immigration reform.”
“The president told them that it is not a question of whether immigration reform will pass, but how soon. He said that the only thing standing in the way is politics, and it is the commitment to change from advocates like these brave fasters that will help pressure the House to finally act.”

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has refused to schedule a vote on a comprehensive immigration measure the Senate passed this summer. The House prefers a piecemeal approach, but Boehner hasn’t said whether lawmakers will consider any bills this year or whether the issue will slip into next year, when midterm-election politics will make legislative action less likely.

The House has moved too slowly to satisfy immigration advocates, including those on the hunger strike as well as a man who shouted during Obama’s speech in California for the president to stop separating families by deporting people who are living in the country illegally.

Obama was the latest administration official to visit with the activists. Vice President Joe Biden, Cabinet secretaries and top White House advisers have also visited.

Associated Press reporter Darlene Superville wrote this report. Follow her on Twitter @dsupervilleap