Obama promises U.S. immigration refroms

President Barack Obama has said US immigration reform could be achieved within six months.

In an interview with Spanish-language TV channel Telemundo, The president said reform should pass in 2013.

He says he would put "everything" into securing a deal even sooner.

But obstacles to the deal were political rather than technical, Obama said.

The comments come the day after the president backed comprehensive immigration reform.

Correspondents say the focus on immigration reflects the growing influence of Hispanic voters.

Obama guarantees he will put everything he has behind it.

The president also said he would work with all politicians to achieve reform, including Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican.

But the senators' proposals would allow undocumented immigrants to start the process of becoming citizens.

Meanwhile, politicians in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives are reportedly working on their own immigration framework.

Flickr Photo by: WEBN-TV

STORY WRITTEN BY: KURT WEISS