The Rosenberg Foundation’s Timothy P. Silard–who joined immigrant rights advocates, labor leaders and social justice grantmakers in Las Vegas today as President Barack Obama unveiled his vision for a new immigration process–has issued the following statement:

“Immigrants are vital to our economy and our communities, and the Rosenberg Foundation applauds President Obama for his commitment to pushing for a road map to citizenship for the nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants.

We also applaud our grant partners for their courageous and unflagging dedication to standing up for the rights of all immigrants, from DREAMers to farmworkers, day laborers and domestic workers. It is their leadership on the frontlines of this issue that has led us to this historic moment, when winning a comprehensive and fair immigration process is finally within our grasp, as President Obama said today. We are encouraged that there is a genuine desire on all sides to move quickly on this issue, and it is imperative that any final outcome does include a path to citizenship. Immigrant families and communities deserve nothing else.

Moving forward, the Rosenberg Foundation will continue to work closely with our grant partners to ensure that immigrant populations are fully integrated into the social and economic fabric of California. We are also committed to the long-term and critical work to expand civic engagement and empowerment for all Californians, which will build power and yield results for years to come.”