MIAMI – A group in downtown Miami welcomed President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, even though he barely touched the issue of immigration.
But for many, what he said on Cuba did resonate, as well as the issues of health care and equal pay for equal work. As did the president's call to keep up the fight against the terror group ISIS.
In a room overlooking an ever-growing downtown Miami, a group of Hispanic immigrants watched as the issue of Cuba overshadowed a single reference to an issue closer to their hearts -- a sentence they've heard from this president in years past.
"Yes, passions still fly on immigration, but surely we can all see something of ourselves in the striving young student and agree that no one benefits when a hardworking mom is taken from her child," Obama said.
Despite the rhetoric, there was a sense in the group that what is taking place with respect to Cuba could bode well for their cause.
For many, the president's declaration of a broken decades-old policy toward Cuba could apply to the current U.S. immigration policy.
"In Cuba, we are ending a policy that was long past its expiration date," Obama said. "When what you're doing doesn't work for 50 years, it's time to try something new. Our shift in Cuba policy has the potential to end a legacy of mistrust in our hemisphere, removes a phony excuse for restrictions in Cuba, stands up for democratic values, and extends the hand of friendship to the Cuban people."
Leading up to the president's address many watched as the easing of travel restrictions to Cuba led to a rush of flights over the weekend from Miami to Havana. Families reunited with loved ones who brought back a taste of home.
"This year, Congress should begin the work of ending the embargo," Obama said. "As his holiness, Pope Francis has said, 'Diplomacy is the work of small steps.' These small steps have added up to new hope for the future in Cuba."
For the group in Miami's downtown, the hope is that Cuba's future will have an impact their own.
"We're all immigrants and we all came here for the same reasons," one woman told Local 10 News.
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