DAVID SIMAS, OBAMA'S SENIOR ADVISER TELLS HIS OWN AMERICAN STORY

Immigration stories

Unless you are one of the first Americans, unless you are a Native American, you came from someplace else. That’s why we’ve always defined ourselves as a nation of immigrants. And we’ve always been better off for it."

—President Obama

Hi, everyone -- This is the start of a national debate. Across the country, we're having a serious discussion about how we can build a fair and effective immigration system that lives up to our heritage as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. And we need your help to make sure that genuine, personal perspectives are part of the conversation. The truth is, that if we go back far enough, nearly every American story begins somewhere else -- so often with ancestors setting out in search of a different life, carving out a future for their children in this place that all of us now call home. We want to make sure that idea isn't far from the minds of policymakers here in Washington as we work to reach an agreement to reform immigration. To kick things off, one of the President's senior advisors sat down to share his story with you. Watch David Simas tell his American story, then tell us yours. When Americans from all over the country -- each with different backgrounds, each from different circumstances -- all speak out with the same voice, it's powerful in a way that's hard to ignore. We've seen it again and again, in debate after debate. And this is the kind of issue where putting a face on the push for reform takes an abstract concept and makes it real. So share your American stories with us, and we'll put them to use. We'll publish them on the White House website. We'll share them on Facebook and Twitter. We'll do everything we can to make sure they're part of the debate around immigration reform. Get started here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/immigration/stories Thanks, Cecilia Cecilia Muñoz Director, Domestic Policy Council The White House