Immigration Reform Won't Happen Without GOP Support, Obama Tells Latino Celebrities in a Meeting:

By Elizabeth Llorente

Published April 28, 2011

Fox News Latino

Comprehensive immigration reform doesn't stand a chance without Republican support, President Obama said in a White House meeting with Latino celebrities on Thursday.

The president said that without the support of Republicans, who now have a majority in the House of Representatives, an overhaul of the immigration system that would include a path to legalization stood little chance of happening, according to those who were at the meeting.

"The White House wants Hispanics to understand that the president cannot just create laws, nor can he just stop deportations by decree," tweeted Univision anchor Maria Elena Salinas. To the question about whether there will be immigration reform, she added, the answer was "Not without Republicans."

President Obama met at the White House with Latino celebrities to stress his commitment to immigration reform, according to a White House email about the meeting.

The meeting took place amid mounting frustration among many Latinos – long a crucial voting bloc for Democrats – over what they see as Obama’s hollow promises to reform immigration policy.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, actress Eva Longoria said the president stressed his commitment to the DREAM Act, a measure that would help undocumented youth obtain legal status if they meet certain conditions. Most states do not allow undocumented immigrants to attend public colleges where they live at in-state tuition rates, making a higher education cost-prohibitive for many of them.

Last year, the DREAM Act passed in the House, where the Democrats were a majority, but failed in the Senate.

"Obviously we were all disappointed that it didn't pass," said Longoria. "They're wonderful students. It's really undebatable that they should be here and continue their education. We need an educated workforce and these kids would be that."

Among others invited to the meeting were Don Francisco, host of the variety show “Sabado Gigante,â€