President Barack Obama renewed his push for US immigration reform today reaching out to Hispanic voters despite minimal chances that Congress will pass such legislation this year.
President Obama has called for Republican support to pass a law to address the 11m illegal immigrants in the country without disrupting the economy or violating American values.
He said that 'reform that brings accountability to our immigration system cannot pass without Republican votes. That is the political and mathematical reality.'
The president has been under pressure to keep his promise from the 2008 presidential campaign to overhaul US immigration rules.
In May, President Obama said he wanted to begin work on immigration reform this year.
The president supports a system that allows undocumented immigrants in good standing to pay a fine, learn English and become citizens.
He also backs tightening border security and clamping down on employers that hire undocumented workers.
A tough new law in Arizona has brought the issue to the forefront of public debate, galvanising Hispanics, who are an important constituency for November's congressional elections.
The law, signed by Arizona's Republican Governor Jan Brewer, allows police to question and detain anyone in the southwestern border state they believe may be an illegal immigrant, even if they are not suspected of committing another crime.
It would also require anyone in the state suspected of being an illegal immigrant to show some kind of document proving citizenship, like a 'green card' permanent residency document or a passport.
The president, speaking at American University, criticised the Arizona law but made no mention of a potential lawsuit by his administration to block it before it goes into force on 29 July.
The US Justice Department is expected to file a lawsuit challenging the law shortly.
In a gesture to the opposition party, President Obama had rare words of praise for his predecessor, President George Bush, calling him courageous for working toward immigration reform while he was in office.
