The following are the pool reports from President Obama's trip to Nashville to talk about immigration issues at Casa Azafran.
First Report, filed at 2:00:
President Barack Obama landed in Nashville on Air Force One at around 1:30 p.m. CST Tuesday for a stop at a community center where he'll discuss his executive actions to give temporary legal status to up to 5 million people in the country illegally. Obama exited Air Force One with Tennessee's two Democratic congress members — U.S. Reps. Jim Cooper of Nashville and Steve Cohen of Memphis.Greeting the president was Nashville Mayor Karl Dean.
The president on Tuesday afternoon will give remarks and take questions from audience members at Casa Azafran, a two-year-old community center that serves immigrant families in Nashville's most ethnically diverse neighborhood.
His executive directive, announced in November, would give up to 5 million illegal immigrants temporary legal status and work permits while shielding them from deportation. The plan does not offer a path to citizenship.
The president will also use his Nashville speech to urge the Republican-led Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration bill.
Nashville is home to one of the nation's fastest-growing immigrant populations. Twelve percent of its population is foreign-born, more than double the figure from a decade ago.
Dean, the Democratic mayor of Nashville, has piloted several city programs and initiatives to assist the city's rising immigrant population. That includes the creation of an Office of New Americans, which is tasked with involving immigrants in local government, expanding economic and educational opportunities and creating partnerships between local government and community organizations.
Casa Azafran houses a new prekindergarten classroom, as well as the non-profit Conexion Americas, which assists Latino families with things like buying homes, starting business and improving their english, and the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, which lobbies for favorable immigration policy and the local, state and federal levels.
This post will update.
Second report, filed at 3:25 p.m.:
President Barack Obama, in a stop in Nashville on Tuesday, hailed a city known for its country music as a model for immigrant relations as he seeks to get Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration bill. "Nashville is helping lead the way in getting this conversation right," Obama told a small crowded at an immigrant community center called Casa Azafran. "We hope that if it happens around the country, and then eventually it will go up into the House of Representatives."Obama came to Nashville Tuesday to discuss his recent executive actions to give temporary legal status and work permits to up to 5 million people in the country illegally. His plan does not offer a path to citizenship.
After 12 minutes of remarks, the president took questions from immigrants who were among the 75 in attendance at the invite-only event.
Greeting him outside Casa Azafran, set in a working class, ethnically diverse neighborhood in Nashville, were both supporters and opponents. The latter held signs that likened his plan as "amnesty" and called for his impeachment. Some booed his arrival.
Obama, in his remarks, rejected Republican claims of amnesty and that he has abused the power of the Oval Office in making his executive directive.
"What it does is create a system of accountability, a commonsense, middleground approach," he said, adding: "These are the kind of lawful actions taken from every president — Republican and Democrat — for the past 50 years.
"So, when members of Congress question whether I have the authority to do this, I have one answer: 'Yes and pass a bill."'
Introducing Obama to a crowd of about 75 at the invite-only event was Renata Soto, executive director of Conexion Americas, a Nashville non-profit that assists new Latino families.
Obama said Nashville might not come to mind as a gateway city, but pointed to the city's changing population, which is now 12 percent foreign-born. He applauded the efforts of Democratic Nashville Mayor Karl Dean in helping new Americans become citizens.
Obama framed his actions to defer deportations of illegal immigrants as the right thing to do.
"Welcoming immigrants into our communities helps all of us," Obama said.
Obama noted that both of Tennessee's Republican senators, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, voted for an immigration bill in the summer of 2013 that never made it to a vote in the House.
He called on Congress to approve a bill that would fix the nation's "broken immigration system" — and that if it does, his executive order won't be necessary.
Watching Obama's remarks at Casa Azafran were three high school immigrant students from Nashville public schools; Metro Director of Schools Jesse Register; Lipscomb University President Randy Lowry; Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce President Ralph Schulz; District 53 Tennessee state Rep. Jason Powell; and Nashville Metro Councilman Fabian Bedne, the first Latino elected official in the history of Metro Nashville.
Third report, filed at 4:35 p.m:
President Barack Obama defended his executive authority to defer deportations for up to 5 million undocumented immigrants during a quick trip to Nashville on Tuesday as he called on Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration bill. "This isn't amnesty, or legalization or even a path to citizenship," Obama said. "What it does is create a system of accountability — a commonsense, middle ground approach."These are the kind of lawful actions taken by every president — Republican and Democrat — for the past 50 years. So when members of Congress question whether I have the authority to do this, I have one answer: 'Yes and pass a bill.'"
Obama came to Nashville Tuesday to discuss his recent executive actions to give temporary legal status and work permits to up to 5 million people in the country illegally. His plan does not offer a path to citizenship.
Obama, pointing to Nashville's rising immigrant population and the city's actions to serve them, hailed the city as a model for the conversation on immigration.
He gave brief remarks at Casa Azafran, a two-year-old community center that serves immigrants in the city's most ethnically diverse neighborhood. He then opened the event up to questions, which included some from high school students, a pastor as well as immigrants affected by the president's policy.
The town hall-style forum lasted about an hour and 15 minutes before Obama left around 3:30 p.m. to return to Air Force at a Nashville airport.
Metro Councilman Fabian Bedne, Nashville's first Latino council representative in attendance for the president's remarks, applauded Obama's call for a comprehensive immigration bill. He noted that Nashville's council passed a resolution last year calling for that action.
"Congress needs to do something because when they don't, it impacts local government," he said. "It is important that something gets passed. Hopefully, this will get Congress's attention."
Elizabeth Narvaez-Bega, a senior at Nashville's Glencliff High School who asked the president about getting young people involved in immigration issues, said she found out two days ago she would be able attend.
"It was extremely overwhelming," she said.
Fourth report at 5:03 p.m.:
President Barack Obama stopped by the Nashville restaurant La Hacienda after leaving an event where he discussed his recent executive actions on immigration. He talked to patrons and workers.Details to come in later report. Visit is ongoing.
Fifth report at 5:30 p.m.
President Barack Obama made an unannounced stop at the Mexican restaurant La Hacienda as he made his way from an event in Nashville back to the airport. Obama made the rounds from table to table, shaking hands of and getting photographed with patrons before placing an order at the register. He paid with cash and ordered five tacos, five flautas and chips and guacamole."Who's going to ring me up?" Obama said.
Obama took a few minutes talking with staff at the popular Nashville restaurant on Nolensville Pike, a corridor that cuts through the city's most ethnically diverse neighborhood.
He had just finished two television interviews after leaving Casa Azafran, a community center where he held a town hall-style forum to defend his executive actions giving legal protection to up to 5 million undocumented immigrants.
At La Hacienda, he posed for a picture with the owners of the restaurant. During another photo, a woman spilled a drink. Obama put down a paper napkin to help clean the mess.
He arrived at the Nashville airport to board Air Force One at around 5:30 p.m.
