Washington Post: Asian American Pacific Islander Leaders Meet with President Obama

Asian American Pacific Islander leaders met with President Obama at the White House this afternoon and described the meeting as “really productive.” reports the Washington Post.

Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies president Floyd Mori (pictured here) and Deepa Iyer, executive director of South Asian Americans Leading Together and the chair of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans were among those at the meeting.

They said the President seemed open to family reunification as part of immigration reform.

“Families are very important to Asian culture,” Mori said. While they want preferences for family unification “restored and strengthened,” he added, “we know it’s a very heavy lift.”

The AAPI leaders also urged President Obama to appoint more Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to key positions in the White House.

“We’re hoping to really shore up that bench of leadership,” she said, noting those are the people “who really run agencies.”