Obama asserts his commitment to immigration reform

Washington, June 10: US President

has asserted his commitment to

reform during a meeting with nurses at the

.

By reforming the legal immigration system the United States can bolster public health by providing immigrant nurses an opportunity to stay in the United States legally and grow their skills, while also attracting the best and brightest immigrants from around the globe to help meet the needs of the growing health care industry, Obama said in his meeting with nurses at the White House on Monday.

During his meeting with the nurses, Obama underscored his commitment to passing commonsense immigration reform and highlighted the importance of this issue to nurses and medical professionals, the White House said.

"The President reaffirmed he will continue to do what he can to rally supporters because he wants to see immigration reform become a reality," the White House said.

"He emphasized that Congress must act to pass commonsense immigration reform and that there is no excuse for House Republicans to continue delaying action, the White House said, adding that both the President and the nurses agreed that commonsense immigration reform would benefit communities across the country and boost the nations economy.

Earlier the White House Deputy Press Secretary, Josh Earnest, said there is no doubt that Obama understands that protecting US border security is a key component of its national security.

"It's also a key component of immigration reform. The President said that from the beginning. That focus on border security is included in the compromise legislation that Democrats and Republicans in the Senate both supported. And there's no reason that it shouldn't earn the bipartisan support of Democrats and Republicans in the House, as well," he said.

PTI