Obama says will keep pushing immigration reform

[The Northerner]

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday vowed to fight for immigration reform, a goal that has eluded him and which matters deeply to Hispanic American voters, whose support he needs for reelection in 2012.

In remarks delivered to several thousand wildly cheering community college students, Obama was also courting support in the vital election battleground state of Florida, which he won in 2008 and wants to keep in his column next year.

"I strongly believe we should fix our broken immigration system. Fix it so it meets our 21st century economic and security needs," Obama told a Miami Dade College graduation ceremony. The college serves tens of thousands of Hispanic and African-American students.

The president's drive for immigration reform has so far taken a back seat to more pressing matters, such as getting the economy growing again and driving through a massive overhaul of healthcare.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/30/us-usa-obama-immigration-idUSTRE73T0EA20110430