WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama will begin his push for immigration reform, a top legislative priority he is trying to lead on a second term, during a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, Tuesday, the White House said.
In a statement issued Friday, the White House said the president will "redouble the Administration's efforts to work with Congress to fix the broken immigration system this year" during the scheduled trip to Las Vegas. It is expected Obama may debut some of his comprehensive immigration proposals.
Earlier on Friday morning, Obama and senior administration officials met with leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to discuss the immigration reform. During the meeting, the president reiterated that the immigration reform is "a top legislative priority," with "no excuse for stalling or delay," according to the document.
"The President was pleased to hear from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus members and noted that they share the same vision, including that any legislation must include a path to earned citizenship," said the White House.
"After today's meeting, it's clear that President Obama is determined to fix our long broken immigration system," said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra in a statement following the meeting with Obama. "The President expressed a great sense of urgency and that comprehensive immigration reform, including an earned path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, is his top legislative priority."
Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, said at the daily briefing that the president hoped the dynamic around the immigration reform has changed, referring to more willingness of the congressional Republicans to move on the issue.
Obama vowed to push on immigration reforms during his re- election bid last year and won support by Latino voters over Republican challenger Mitt Romney. In his first term, he didn't push for major legislative solutions to the country's immigration policies. Instead, he launched programs for relief from deporting young immigrations during a tight campaign last summer, an effort that was believed to further boost his support among Latino voters.
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