Clinton praises immigrants at Oscar de la Renta dedication event

As former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined in a celebration of legendary designer Oscar de la Renta, she couldn't help but note and praise his immigrant background.

Clinton joined several other notable names and friends of de la Renta at a U.S. Postal Service ceremony unveiling a series of 11 stamps dedicated to the late Dominican-born designer. De la Renta, who died in 2014, dressed every first lady from Jacqueline Kennedy to Michelle Obama.

During her speech, Clinton pointed out the "USA Forever" mark in the corner of the stamps.

"Oscar de la Renta was an immigrant, and aren't we proud and grateful that he was?" she said at New York's Grand Central Terminal.

Clinton continued:

In the corner of these striking stamps, it says, "USA Forever." Let us remember what is durable and lasting about Oscar's legacy. Of course, it is the fashion — it is the great worldly success.

But it's also going with him to Washington Heights, going to a nightclub and watching him dance the salsa with young people who are just starting out their lives in this great city in this blessed country. He knew what they were hoping for. He gave up his heart and his soul to make sure that  his example would live on.

"What a fitting person to be chosen by our Postal Service — mentioned, by the way, in the Constitution — something we should all read and re-read in today’s times," Clinton said to laughter and applause. "And its choice of this immigrant who did so much for our country, his country, truly is what it means when we say, 'USA Forever' —who we are, what we stand for. And let there be many, many more immigrants with the love of America that Oscar de la Renta exemplified every single day."

As the Associated Press reported, Clinton did not address her recent loss to President Donald Trump, whose daughter, Ivanka, wore Oscar de la Renta during last month's inauguration.

The Clintons had a special relationship with the de la Rentas, MSNBC reported following the designer's death. De la Renta helped the then-first lady — who he said he had a "tremendous amount of admiration for" — to become more fashion conscious.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also attended the dedication ceremony and spoke of de la Renta's immigrant background.

"Our country is great because we welcome people from around the world," Bloomberg, who endorsed Clinton for president, said. "They come here to work hard and build a better future for their families, no matter where they come from."

Thursday was also the day of the nationwide protests called "A Day Without Immigrants." Restaurants and businesses across the country closed or only made available limited products in order to showcase how migrants are integral in the U.S. economy.

Trump said on Thursday that he planned to issue a new executive order regarding his temporary travel ban from several predominantly Muslim countries as his previous order was halted by a federal judge.

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