Los Angeles Times:
Obama to pitch U.S. immigration reform from South Korea
By Christi Parsons
April 24, 2014
SEOUL
-- President Obama plans to honor those who died in the Korean War with
a surprising message for a foreign audience: a pitch for immigration
reform back home.
At
a naturalization ceremony Friday for 13 U.S. service members and seven
military spouses stationed in South Korea, he will offer a tribute to
the contributions that
naturalized American citizens have made through military service,
according to an official familiar with the event.
The
ceremony offers a rare setting for a recurrent Obama message: that the
U.S. will benefit if immigrants who already make the sacrifices of
citizenship can enjoy the
rights and privileges that go along with it.
The
remarks, coming in the middle of an eight-day tour of Asia, will also
be the opening message to a South Korean audience worried about national
security and looking
for reassurance from their ally. After the naturalization ceremony,
Obama is to lay a wreath at the National War Memorial, remembering the
U.S. role in the 1950-53 Korean War.
The
promise of continued support is top of mind in Seoul. Its aggressive
neighbor to the north is threatening more missile testing and live-fire
artillery practice that
typically follows the spring military exercises between the U.S. and
South Korea.
The
White House harbors no hope that North Korea will change that course of
action anytime soon, but on his way to Seoul, Obama professed
confidence that the long-term
regional strategy and long-term U.S. presence eventually will make a
difference.
“We
can continue to apply more and more pressure on North Korea so that, at
some juncture, they end up taking a different course,” Obama said at a
news conference with
the Japanese prime minister before leaving Tokyo.
Obama isn’t in Seoul to unveil new policy, but to emphasize the U.S. commitment to regional security.
“The
meeting between the two leaders will be an important moment to show
strength in the alliance, a strong show of deterrence, that will also be
important for helping
to stabilize the region,” said Victor Cha, Korea chair at the
Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Obama
arrives in Seoul bearing a set of Korean national treasures shipped out
of the country by an American soldier during the Korean War.
Last
fall, U.S. customs officials seized a cache of Korean treasures,
including nine ancient royal seals, from the survivors of a Marine
lieutenant who served in the conflict.
Among
the artifacts are dynastic seals dating back several centuries. The
White House is returning them as a gesture of respect for Korean history
and culture.
While
Obama focuses on nurturing relationships with Asian allies this week,
his closest advisors are mindful of his relative silence on domestic
policy back home.
The naturalization ceremony is the rare event that speaks to a foreign and domestic audience alike, one advisor said.
Military
service doesn’t mean automatic U.S. citizenship, but special provisions
of immigration law allow federal officials to expedite the application
and naturalization process for those who have served.
Obama
plans to salute those newly minted Americans, along with other U.S.
troops stationed in South Korea, during his first hours in the country.
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