Obama wants comprehensive immigration reform

US President Barack Obama is in favour of a comprehensive immigration reform, but this can't be done without the support of the Republicans, the White House said.

As Obama held second consecutive meeting on this issue at the White House, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the US President "desires to move forward on that comprehensive reform, as we have seen, we cannot have immigration reform passed individually by each state through a patchwork of laws."

Reiterating that one party alone can't resolve this, Gibbs said: "Only with Republican support can we move forward on immigration."

When asked if Obama is open to immigration reform this year, Gibbs said: "Obviously there are proposals that are being worked on. It is no less an important issue now that there is a Democrat in the White House. The President will continue to work with anybody that desires to work with him and others on a comprehensive solution."

Obama met with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus yesterday about the need to fix the nation's broken immigration system.

The President discussed his upcoming speech on comprehensive immigration reform with the members, and his desire to see a bipartisan process based on the proposal presented in the Senate and building on the Schumer-Graham framework, the White House said after the meeting.

Obama noted that the bipartisan approach in that proposal thoughtfully addresses the need to further secure the borders and demands accountability from both workers who are here illegally and unscrupulous employers who game the system.

"During the meeting, the President also reiterated the unprecedented efforts his Administration has taken to secure our borders, including his request to Congress for $600 million in supplemental appropriations and the deployment of up-to an additional 1,200 National Guard forces to complement those efforts," the statement said.

Obama will deliver remarks on the need to fix the broken immigration system through comprehensive immigration reform at the American University School of International Service on July 1, the White House announced.

On Monday Obama met with representatives from a broad range of community groups to discuss the ways in which his Administration is working with stakeholders around the country as well as members of Congress to craft a comprehensive approach that will finally fix the broken immigration system.