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The controversy regarding immigration reform has been a topic that America has struggled with over the years. With a large flux of Immigrants coming from all around the world to America, America has been proposing different methods in order to control immigration. Immigration has been seen as a problem because people perceive immigrants as people who come here illegally and steal jobs from the American people. With Obama’s upcoming reelection in 2012, which is a year after he gives his speech in El Paso, Texas, it is inevitable to bring up the issues of Immigration during that speech in order to win the votes of the American people. Instead of focusing on the creation of a more secure border, instead he encourages on reforming the Immigration laws. In order to gain the audience’s support, he must change the audience’s perceptions about immigration. Obama changes the potential perception of immigrants from a negative to a positive connotation during his speech in El Paso, Texas by revealing their benefits and potential in order to gain support for his proposal on immigration reform. Obama opens his speech in El Paso, Texas by referring to the patriotism that Immigrants portray and how that patriotism along with their hard work makes them American. He uses the graduating students of Miami Dade Community, whom he spoke at their commencement speech at, to set an example of how immigrants in the present day are patriotic. During the commencement speech he brings into the audience’s attention that Miami Dade is a diverse school that represents 181 different flags. When a different flag was shown the student, from that country the flag was shown, stood up and applauded. But when “ The American flag came into view. [And] Everyone in the ... ... middle of paper ... ...reform. He continues to persuade the audience by closing his speech with Jose Hernandez’s story, which is a summation of the benefits and potential of Immigrants. Jose being a child of migrant workers was fortunate enough to be born and America. Through his hard work he was able to achieve his dream and become and astronaut, and contribute to the world of space and science. Obama uses Jose’s story to persuade the audience to take action in by stressing to the audience, “ Think about that, El Paso. That’s the American Dream right there. That’s what were fighting for.” He accentuates that there is a possibility that Americans can provide for immigrants, that as Americans if they join Obama, they can fix the flaw in the system and help every immigrant reach their potential so that they can in turn help Americans, and continue to provide the nation with their benefits.

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