Orlando, Fla. -- Speaking before a crowd of more than 2,000 Tuesday at the University of Central Florida, First Lady Michelle Obama listed President Barack Obama’s initiatives during his first term – including his recent executive order to stop deporting undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children – and said those policies are all “on the line” in November’s election.

“In the end, it all boils down to one simple question. Are we going to continue the change we begun, the progress we made?” Obama said. “Are we going to let everything that we fought for to just slip away?”

“We cannot turn back now,” she added. “We need to keep moving forward.”

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The reference to President Barack Obama’s announcement last month that he had moved to block the deportation of hundreds of thousands of young illegal immigrants was perhaps an indication of how crucial Florida – rich in Latino votes – has become in an increasingly tight election.

“He knows and believes that it is time to stop denying responsible, young people opportunities in this country because they’re the children of undocumented immigrants. It’s time to stop that,” Obama said of her husband’s support for the DREAM act, which would offer a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who have graduated from high school.

The measure has been held up in Congress since 2010.

According to pool reports earlier in the day, Obama made a quick surprise visit to  the Blanchard Park YMCA in a mostly Hispanic neighborhood in Orlando. Many children recognized her – one girl covered her grin with both hands but could not hide it. Another asked for a hug.

At the university, Obama spoke for about 25 minutes inside the basketball arena.  A state fire official estimated there were 2,251 people in the bleachers and on the gym floor.

There was no mention of the president’s opponent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, or of class and money – prominent themes in the attack ads released by both sides.

Still, Obama made a careful pitch of her husband as an ordinary man, whose origins as the son of a single mother “who struggled to put herself through school and pay the bills” leavens his judgment in office.

“I have seen how as president you are going to get all kind of advice for all kinds of people,” Obama said. “But at the end of the day, let me tell you when it comes time to make that decision as president, all you have to guide you are your life experiences. All you have to direct you are your values.”

"We all know who my husband is, don’t we?" Obama added. "We all know what Barack Obama stands for, don’t we?” 

 

 

HENDERSON, Nev. --- Defending the White House's controversial decision to stop deportations of some children of illegal immigrants, first lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday called the measure "an important step" but not "a permanent solution" and vowed that her husband will keep fighting `n for full Congressional embrace of the DREAM Act.

"Just last week this administration announced new measures to lift the shadow of deportation from many of these young people who came here as children and were raised as Americans," she told a rally of about 1,000 supporters in the Las Vegas area, where more than a quarter of the population is of Hispanic origin. "But while this is an important step, it is not a permanent solution. It is not. So Barack is going to keep fighting to get Congress to give these young people a real pathway to citizenship."

"That's the vision that this president has," she added.

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On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it will no longer deport young illegal immigrants who came to the United States before the age of 16, have no criminal records, and who have pursued an education. Those who meet the requirements can defer deportation proceedings for two years - subject to renewal - and can apply for work permits.

 

 

The mention of the new policy was somewhat out of the ordinary for Mrs. Obama, who rarely strays from her stump speech to comment on current events. Her reference to the DHS policy and to the similarly-structured legislative DREAM Act won cheers from the crowd in Henderson, Nev.

Obama immigration order poses dilemma for eligible illegal immigrants

In her remarks, the first lady also offered a fierce defense of the White House's economic policies, particularly the foreclosure reforms the president announced in Nevada last year.

She encouraged supporters to remind friends and neighbors of those reforms, saying that as a result "families across the state have been able to refinance their mortgages and keep their homes and keep more money in their pockets each month."

With a nod to her oft-mentioned father, whom she often says took great pride in paying his bills on time, Obama urged backers to evangelize within their communities about the economic gains of the past years. "While we still have a long way to go, we still have more work to do to rebuild our economy, let them know that today millions of people are collecting a paycheck again," she said. "Millions of people like my dad are able to pay their bills again thanks to your president.

Before arriving at the sweltering conference center, the first lady stopped at Sunrise Coffee in Las Vegas. Purchasing two small iced teas - with the sweetener "on the side" - Mrs. Obama joked with the cashier about the crush of press that hung on her every move.

"I don't know what they'll do," she said with a smile when the young cashier eyed the journalists and worried aloud that they would "mob" both of them. "I can't speak for them."

Mrs. Obama continues her western campaign swing tomorrow with two events in Colorado.