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White House to Shakira: “Hope to Reach An Agreement” on Immigration Reform This Year

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As we mentioned briefly yesterday, Colombian pop superstar Shakira (Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll) is the latest public figure to call on President Obama to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation with a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Which is pretty significant, considering Shakira got the full Oval Office treatment yesterday:

Lebanese-Colombian singer and activist Shakira got the red-carpet treatment in Washington today, meeting with President Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden at the White House and then joining World Bank President Robert Zoellick to announce a new $300 million initiative for early childhood development.

Via Foreign Policy Magazine:

… Shakira isn’t confining her advocacy to education; she also wants Obama to push forward on immigration reform.

White House officials told Shakira that they hope to reach an agreement this year with the Republican Party to legalize undocumented immigrants, her representative said.

Greg Siskind named Shakira yesterday’s “Immigrant of the Day,” stating:

A lot of politically active performers have been reluctant to embrace immigration reform because of fear of a tea partyish backlash. I’m glad Shakira is not afraid to speak her mind.

As White House officials continue to work to reach an agreement with Republicans, advocates around the country are mobilizing to bring the message clearly to Washington on March 21st.