USA Immigration News

President Obama backs to US immigration reform efforts

Following the failure in the attempt to pass the Dream Act - legislation that would have provided citizenship to young immigrants who attended college or served in the military - US President Barack Obama will once again try to pass comprehensive reforms of the US immigration system.

At the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Obama made a speech in his latest effort to rally support for his proposals.

In the speech, he said reforming US immigration systems was "not only an economic imperative, or a security imperative - it's also a moral imperative".

"We define ourselves as a nation of immigrants, as a nation that's open to anyone who's willing to embrace America's precepts, America's ideals," he said.

Obama supports comprehensive reforms by calling for continued efforts to secure the border, hold accountable both illegal immigrants and the employers who hire them and provide a pathway to citizenship for more than 11 millions of undocumented immigrants living in the US.

Obama's speech was made following his trip to visit US-Mexico border on May 10 as well as a high-powered meeting featuring influential politicians and public figures - both part of a new campaign for US immigrationlaw reform.