Obama holds White House meeting on immigration reform

[The Northerner]

Washington (CNN) -- A broad group of government officials, business leaders, law enforcement officials and others met on Tuesday with President Barack Obama to discuss how to build support for immigration reform in the face of congressional opposition.

Obama told the gathering that he remains committed to seeking a comprehensive approach "that both strengthens security at our borders while restoring accountability to the broken immigration system," according to a White House statement.

However, the president also acknowledged that any reform effort requires congressional approval, and he urged the gathering to help "bring the debate to communities around the country and involve many sectors of American society in insisting that Congress act" on the issue.

Last year, when Obama's Democratic Party controlled the House and Senate, Congress failed to pass an immigration bill that would have provided a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants who entered America as children. The so-called DREAM Act died in the Senate in December due to a Republican filibuster.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/04/19/obama.immigration/