THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT:

On the portrait of Carlos Mendez, a dreamer

So, you know, it's a compelling tale in that his dad comes up here. They're stone broke in Mexico. There are jobs in Dallas area that aren't being filled. He fills it and, admittedly, not here on a on a work visa, which really does explain part of the reform that needs to take place, which is a better work program and more effective work program, both high skilled and lower skilled. And so he comes up here and starts sending money home like many people who are doing jobs that need to be done here in the state of Texas, for example. And the mother and son follow. The kid's ... on an innertube crossing the Rio Grande River and they end up coming. Mom dies, Dad gets injured. They live in east Texas. But the kid's a smart guy and he gets some help along the way by caring citizens. He ends up going to a junior college in East Texas and then Henry Cisneros [former mayor of San Antonio] finds out about him and helps him get a green card. The DACA program, saved him from being kicked out. And now he's an engineer in San Antonio. He's a contributing citizen. This is an issue that can be fixed. And that is -- it makes no sense for our country to take kids who came here as young kids and send them home where there's no home. And so it seems to me Congress, if they're trying to get some reforms done, ought to start here. And most Americans agree that the DACA kids ought to be given permanent status.

On the ongoing effort by Texas Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton to have DACA protections declared unlawful

Well, I think Congress needs to fix it. The whole issue is one of failed government. And the reason why it's failed is because the issue is too political. In other words, people think they can score political points and yet -- hopefully this book will get people looking at the issue in a different way and that, you know, they realize that like, Carlos, I mean, he's making a huge contribution to our country and our will and therefore there's a sobriety in the debate and it's less scoring political points and more fixing a broken system....

On whether he thinks contributions of immigrants have been minimized in the current immigration debate

I think we go through these spasms in our country where there's a nativist sentiment where people don't focus on the positive aspects of immigration and that needs to change. Look, everybody - I shouldn't say everyone, it's a little bit bold of me to say everybody -- a lot of people want to make sure we have border enforcement. But the truth of the matter is, by fixing the broken system, it does make it easier to enforce the border. And right now, the asylum system needs to be fixed. The work permits need to be changed. The DACA kids need to have certainty. And so comprehensive is not going to work during this kind of volatile political period. But I'm confident that if we can get people focused on, like the DACA issue, there's compromise to be made and a problem to be solved.

On his choice to paint many famous immigrants

I think every one of these stories is a story of loneliness, adjustment, doubt as to whether or not they'd make it, no matter if they're famous or not. It's Henry Kissinger. You know, I talked to him about this book and he agreed to let me paint him and tell his story. And, you know, I said, 'What was it like coming from Nazi Germany to New York City?' And he said, 'I wasn't accepted,' which I thought really interesting. He said, 'The first [time] I really felt accepted was when I joined an army unit from people from the Midwest.' And there was a loneliness and a isolation that many immigrants feel and a doubt as to whether or not, in Kissinger's case, there's no doubt they made the right decision to leave Nazi Germany because he's Jewish, of course.

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