Instead of focusing on border security, he advocated a comprehensive approach that would call on the government, businesses and illegal immigrants themselves to live up to their responsibilities within the law.

Obama also wants to create a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 12 to 20 million illegal immigrants in the US; critics call it amnesty. But Obama said the immigrants must first acknowledge that they broke the law, pay fines and back taxes, perform community service and learn English.

Obama made the case for further measures to be put in place to secure the southwestern border.

The president did not set a timeline for Congressional immigration reform.

Few in Congress see any chance of a bill making headway in an election year. A White House operation has been under way over the past few months to put the ball firmly in the Republicans’ court. In April, Obama called sympathetic Republican senators to see whether a deal could be reached. He also spoke at their caucus lunch recently in a bid to round up support.

Obama has also attempted to show a renewed zeal for reform. He met with advocates Monday to talk about his commitment to the issue. In an hourlong meeting Tuesday, the president and a group of Hispanic members of Congress discussed how to proceed.

Hispanics could play an important part in the Democrats' fortunes in the midterm elections. Two-thirds of Hispanic voters backed Obama in 2008.

The Obama administration, which has said that the new controversial Arizona immigration law appears to be unconstitutional, is expected to join several private lawsuits aimed at stopping it from taking effect. The measure has won support from broad majorities in local and national polls, and legislators in several states hope to replicate it over coming months.

A slim majority of Americans support the Arizona law, according to a Washington Post-ABC poll released this week: A similar number also still back a program giving those here illegally the right to earn legal documentation.

Meanwhile, police officers enforcing the new Arizona immigration law have been told they cannot use race to form a suspicion that someone is in the country illegally, but can rely on people's ability to speak English, their dress and whether they are in an area where illegal immigrants congregate, according to state guidelines released Thursday.

The 90-minute training DVD and accompanying paperwork will be distributed to 15,000 law enforcement officers statewide charged with enforcing the sweeping new law, which is scheduled to take effect on July 29.

The law requires police to determine the status of people they stop who they suspect are in the country illegally, and makes it a misdemeanor to lack proper immigration documents in Arizona.

Critics have said there is no way to do that without engaging in racial profiling. The guidelines warn officers that activists may try to lure them into stopping people solely based on their race.

The Obama administration wants comprehensive immigration overhaul to come first, while Republican leaders are pushing for improved border security as the top priority. A Fox News poll released Friday asked American voters what should happen first: 59 percent think the government should secure the border first, while 30 percent think the priority should be new legislation.

Large numbers of Republicans (72 percent) and independents (65 percent) support securing the border first. Views are fairly evenly split among Democrats, with a slim plurality putting border security (44 percent) before Congressional action (41 percent).