Secretary's Speech

Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez
National Hispanic Leadership Summit
Washington, D.C.

Today you’re discussing key issues impacting America, and how Hispanic leaders can help address these challenges. As I look around the room I see the faces of so many of those leaders. You are working around the country to ensure that Latinos are well-represented, engaged and involved.

I’m proud to be a part of one of the most diverse Administrations in history. More than ever before, Hispanics are playing an important role in setting the direction of our country. Consider the growth in officeholders:

• 29 Members of the 110th Congress are Hispanic
• More than 5,000 elected and appointed officials at all levels of state and local government are Hispanic.
• There are over 300 appointees in the Cabinet and throughout the Bush Administration who are Hispanic.

And in 2004, 7.6 million Hispanics reported voting in the presidential election. We need to continue to grow participation at all levels.

I believe Latino politics are still being defined. We must not let anyone take us for granted. We need to move beyond divisive, political rhetoric to answering one question: How can Hispanics be even more successful and play an even bigger role in our society?

I submit to you that this is the right time for Hispanics, individually and as a community, to start actively pursuing the answer to that question.

Our economy is strong and getting stronger.

• Last week the Labor Department reported that 97,000 new jobs were created in February
• That’s more than 7.5 million since August 2003
• Unemployment is at a low 4.5 percent
• 21 straight quarters of economic growth
• Real after-tax income per person has risen by 10 percent since President Bush took office.

The U.S. is now home to more than 300 million people. We are the only major advanced nation experiencing rapid population growth, with a rapidly growing economy.

And America’s Hispanic population is helping to fuel that growth. Hispanics are the largest minority in the United States, with an estimated population of 41.3 million, which is slated to grow by more than 1.7 million a year.

19.6 million Hispanic workers were employed in the U.S. labor market last year, accounting for nearly 14% of all employees.

Hispanic-owned businesses are one of the fastest growing segments of our economy, growing three times the national average for all businesses.

• There are an estimated two million Hispanic-owned businesses in the U.S., generating nearly $300 billion.
• By 2010, estimates predict there will be 3.2 million Hispanic firms generating $465 billion.
• By year’s end, one in 10 small businesses will be owned by Hispanic-Americans.

Clearly, Hispanics are contributing to our nation’s economic strength and we can do more.

So, our challenge is to pursue policies that allow workers, consumers and businesses to keep growing the economy. High on this list is tax relief. Tax cuts led us out of recession and we need to make tax relief permanent.

At issue here is: Who can allocate capital more effectively?

I believe businesses and consumers can do a better job than the federal government. Don’t let government convince you they can do a better job with your money.

We must also continue opening world markets. In 2006, exports were up 13 percent. For the first time in nearly a decade, export growth outpaced imports.

Since the President took office, we’ve implemented free trade agreements with 11 countries, and we have seven more in the pipeline. The countries we have implemented FTAs with since 2001 represent 7.4 percent of World GDP (minus the U.S.), while exports to these countries represent 42.6 percent of U.S. exports.

Seven more countries are in the pipeline, including agreements with Colombia, Peru and Panama, which we hope Congress will pass in the coming months.

This Administration will continue working to expand free trade throughout the world, especially here in the Western Hemisphere.

Under President Bush's leadership, the U.S. has offered a positive vision to Latin America that advances economic freedom and social justice while strengthening democracies and the rule of law.

CAFTA, the Central America Free Trade Agreement, has already increased export opportunities for the U.S. In 2006, exports to El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua grew by over 18 percent.

But CAFTA will also help improve the quality of life for people throughout the region. CAFTA will generate more jobs, contribute to the reduction of poverty and improve institutions by making them more transparent, predictable and accountable throughout the region. A prosperous Latin America is also good for the Hispanic community in the U.S.

President Bush has a vision of hope, freedom and prosperity for the Americas. And under the President’s leadership we will continue to call out for real social justice, real freedom and human dignity on the island of Cuba.

I invite all Hispanic leaders to be active in this great human rights cause of our time.

Let me turn to a topic that is perhaps the most important issue facing our nation: immigration.

Hispanic Americans, as immigrants or descendants of immigrants, have a life story to tell. Most of our stories involve seeking economic and political freedom.

You know I was born in Havana, Cuba and my parents fled the Island when I was six. We worked hard, learned English and benefited from the power of freedom.

My story is not unique—it is the story of many Latino-Americans. Many of whom are engaged in the great debate over immigration, the domestic social issue of our time.

Secretary Chertoff, members of the White House staff and I are working with Congress to pass immigration reform this year. We believe that with hard work on a bipartisan basis, a solution to this very complex, very emotional issue can be found.

I believe our immigration solution must be multi-faceted. It must focus on securing our borders, enabling continued economic growth and creating a more unified America.

We are a society governed by the rule of law and we should not reward unlawful behavior. But the mass deportation of 12 million people is not a solution. Neither is amnesty. I am convinced we can find a solution in the middle.

Many advanced economies face declining populations and struggle to assimilate immigrants. Immigration can be our competitive advantage. We’re a nation of immigrants. We have a history of making immigration work. We know how to do it.

Immigration is not something to be tolerated. Immigration is one of our greatest opportunities if we approach it with judgment, wisdom and in the nation interest.

As immigrants, we have a responsibility to make a contribution to this great nation. As a Latino-American, I believe the only thing that Latinos want is opportunity.

Our parents and grandparents came to this country for freedom, hope and a better future. They did not come in search of paternalism. They simply asked for an opportunity.

We must encourage those in our community to integrate and not stay on the fringes. Latino-Americans must learn English, American history and not be reticent to become a part of the fabric of this great society.

We have as much a right to do so as anyone else, and we have an obligation to our own community to do everything we can to succeed.

Hispanics must pursue, above all, equal opportunity—that’s all we have ever wanted. It’s time to put away the politics of the past and usher in a new era—an era of hope, opportunity and confidence; not one of resentment or misplaced pride.

Hispanic immigration will be a positive force for this country.

Like you, I am a reflection of what this country is all about. I am proud to be a part of a generation that calls itself Hispanic-American, or Latino-American. I have cultural and language roots that are Hispanic. And those roots have blended with American culture.

For example, I still prefer arroz con frijoles and platanos fritos to a good all-American hamburger.

We can be committed to this country without abandoning our culture—we can use our values of faith, family and a strong work ethic as assets to succeed, to play a stronger role, and help build a better society for all Americans.

In the end, immigration is not an historic problem—it is an historic opportunity. And we are right in the middle of it. We must find a solution so future generations can sit where you sit, as leaders of this country.

I appreciate your willingness to come to Washington, find out how you can contribute to the dialogue and ensure that the policies we adopt here are grounded in reality.

And I thank you for having a passion for America’s success and to be proud to call yourselves Hispanic-American. Thank you, and I look forward to your questions.