http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2 ... reform-too

Obama bemoans Congress's inaction on immigration reform, too
It's not all about the debt ceiling. In a speech to the Latino community – a key voter bloc for 2012 – Obama on Monday blamed Republicans for blocking immigration reform at the federal level.



President Barack Obama waves as he prepares to walks off stage after delivering remarks at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) annual conference luncheon in Washington, on July 25.
(Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Linda Feldmann, Staff writer
posted July 25, 2011 at 4:37 pm EDT

Washington
President Obama’s impasse with congressional Republicans over the debt ceiling wasn’t far from thought Monday as he made a campaign-style speech to a key constituency, the Latino community.

Speaking to the National Council of La Raza, the largest Latino civil rights organization in the US, Mr. Obama expressed regret over having to enforce deportation laws that split up families and deny educational opportunities to young people who immigrated illegally through no choice of their own.

“Now, I know some people want me to bypass Congress and change the laws on my own,â€