President Barack Obama said that while he can lessen some of the injustices in the current U.S. immigration system, real progress requires changing the law.
His obligation as president is to enforce the existing law, Obama said in a White House roundtable with correspondents from Efe and other Spanish-language media outlets.
Recent changes in deportation policy that prioritize expelling undocumented immigrants who committed crimes are not sufficient, according to the president, who said the problem cannot be resolved through "administrative" measures.
White House to Reduce Visa OverstaysAmending the policy on deportations will not achieve the path to citizenship for undocumented migrants "that I believe must be part of the solution," he told the journalists.
Obama said his administration will continue to press for comprehensive immigration reform, one of his 2008 campaign promises.
His failure so far to deliver on that promise is one of the factors that have sparked a drastic drop in support for the Democratic president among Hispanic voters, which according to the latest surveys stands at 48 percent, compared with 67 percent in 2008.
The president, however, told the media roundtable that Latino voters will not punish him in 2012 for his not being able to persuade Republicans in Congress to do the right thing on immigration.
Obama: Immigration Reform Requires Changing the Law | Fox News Latino
His obligation as president is to enforce the existing law, Obama said in a White House roundtable with correspondents from Efe and other Spanish-language media outlets.
Recent changes in deportation policy that prioritize expelling undocumented immigrants who committed crimes are not sufficient, according to the president, who said the problem cannot be resolved through "administrative" measures.
White House to Reduce Visa OverstaysAmending the policy on deportations will not achieve the path to citizenship for undocumented migrants "that I believe must be part of the solution," he told the journalists.
Obama said his administration will continue to press for comprehensive immigration reform, one of his 2008 campaign promises.
His failure so far to deliver on that promise is one of the factors that have sparked a drastic drop in support for the Democratic president among Hispanic voters, which according to the latest surveys stands at 48 percent, compared with 67 percent in 2008.
The president, however, told the media roundtable that Latino voters will not punish him in 2012 for his not being able to persuade Republicans in Congress to do the right thing on immigration.
Obama: Immigration Reform Requires Changing the Law | Fox News Latino
