Former Secretary of State and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton spoke at the League of United Latin American Citizens' conference on July 14, 2016 in Washington, D.C. (CNSNews.com/Penny Starr)

(CNSNews.com) – Former Secretary of State and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton told attendees at the League of United Latin American Citizens’ (LULAC) annual conference in Washington, D.C. on Thursday that they are not “intruders” and some may have been here before the U.S. was founded.



“We are not strangers. You are not intruders. You are our neighbors, our colleagues, our friends, our families. You make our nation stronger, smarter, more creative,” Clinton said.





“Whether you’re Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Afro-Latino, or from Central or South America; whether your family has just arrived or has been here since before the United States even existed, we are brothers and sisters, and I will be your champion,” she said.



“I want you to know I see you, I hear you, and I am with you,” Clinton added.



Clinton spoke at the conference’s “unity luncheon” and tweeted about shortly after her speech.



“Latinos have to help us shape the future of America because you are the future of America,” Clinton said on her Twitter account.



Clinton pledged that if she’s elected president a pathway to citizenship would be part of the immigration reform package she would present to Congress in her first 100 days in office.