WASHINGTON — Under pressure from advocates and the 2012 re-election calendar, President Barack Obama on Tuesday enlisted a diverse group of elected officials; religious, business, labor and civil- rights leaders; and law enforcers to help build support for a long-stalled overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws.
Obama is making a new attempt to fulfill his campaign pledge to enact broad changes early in his term. A White House meeting with a group of about 70 people led to no breakthroughs on the way forward, just a call to action.
“The president asked the group to commit to moving forward to keep the debate about this issue alive, to keep it alive in the sense that it can get before Congress, where the ultimate resolution of it will have to be obtained,” said Bill Bratton, former police chief in Los Angeles and New York City. “The idea being to go out into our various communities and to speak about the issue.”
