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The agency in charge of implementing immigration policy, among other duties, is scheduled to run out of funding Friday if the GOP-controlled Congress can't agree to a funding bill.

READ: DHS impasse down to the wire in Congress

"Instead of trying to hold hostage funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which is so important for our national security, fund that and let's get on with actually passing comprehensive immigration reform," Obama said at the event, aired on Telemundo and MSNBC, and hosted by Jos Daz-Balart, an anchor on both channels.

The meeting was announced in the days following a ruling last week from a federal district court judge that temporarily blocked Obama's executive action on immigration.The White House said it was a chance for the President to reach the Hispanic community, taking questions from online and members of the audience.

During the event, the President called on voters to make immigration reform a successful social movement -- and a key issue in the next presidential election.

"Every major social movement, every bit of progress in this country, whether it's been the workers' rights movement or the civil rights movement or the women's rights movement, every single bit of that progress had required us to fight and to push and you make progress," Obama said. "You don't get everything right away, and then you push some more."

The President also defended the legality of his executive action, but said that passing comprehensive reform in Congress should be the end goal. When asked about the failure of Congress to pass legislation he laid the blame squarely on the GOP.

"You do a disservice when you suggest that no one was doing anything, then you don't know who was fighting for and against you," Obama said. "The Democratic Party has been consistent. A few Republicans have supported it but let's be clear the reason why we don't have a bill is because [House Speaker] John Boehner wouldn't call a vote."

Obama offered praise for 2016 Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush.

"I appreciate Mr. Bush being concerned about immigration reform," he said. "I would suggest that what he do is talk to the speaker of the House and the members of his party."

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Obama defends immigration policy in Telemundo town hall

Miami President Barack Obama on Wednesday told Latinos that Republicans were to blame for holding up changes to U.S. immigration laws, urging them to hold Republicans accountable for the problems in the 2016 presidential election.

Speaking on the home turf of Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor who is considering a run for the Republican presidential nomination, Obama told young members of Miami's Latino community concerned about deportations that they need to turn up the political heat.

Bush has criticized Obama for setting back the cause of immigration reform by taking executive actions in November to offer work permits and lift the threat of deportation for as many as 4.7 million undocumented immigrants.

Obama's plans were supposed to take effect last week, but were thwarted by a Texas judge who halted the actions. The Justice Department has asked for an emergency stay on that action, and is also appealing the decision.

Obama said Bush's criticisms were an "excuse" and noted that in the last Congress, Republicans in the House of Representatives blocked an immigration bill passed by the Senate from moving forward.

"I appreciate Mr. Bush being concerned about immigration reform. I would suggest though that what he do is talk to the speaker of the House and the members of his party," Obama said.

Obama took questions about his stalled immigration actions at a town hall event televised on Spanish-language network Telemundo and MSNBC.

He blamed Republican governors for challenging his unilateral action in court.

Obama said that he is confident his administration ultimately will win a legal battle to proceed with his executive actions on immigration, but said it "will take a couple of months" to file and argue the case.

In the meantime, Obama promised Latinos that his border and immigration officials would focus on deporting criminals and recent border crossers, rather than people who have been living in the country for many years.

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Obama says GOP should take the heat for immigration hold ups

Miami President Barack Obama on Wednesday told Latinos that Republicans were to blame for holding up changes to U.S. immigration laws, urging them to hold Republicans accountable for the problems in the 2016 presidential election.

Speaking on the home turf of Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor who is considering a run for the Republican presidential nomination, Obama told young members of Miami's Latino community concerned about deportations that they need to turn up the political heat.

Bush has criticized Obama for setting back the cause of immigration reform by taking executive actions in November to offer work permits and lift the threat of deportation for as many as 4.7 million undocumented immigrants.

Obama's plans were supposed to take effect last week, but were thwarted by a Texas judge who halted the actions. The Justice Department has asked for an emergency stay on that action, and is also appealing the decision.

Obama said Bush's criticisms were an "excuse" and noted that in the last Congress, Republicans in the House of Representatives blocked an immigration bill passed by the Senate from moving forward.

"I appreciate Mr. Bush being concerned about immigration reform. I would suggest though that what he do is talk to the speaker of the House and the members of his party," Obama said.

Obama took questions about his stalled immigration actions at a town hall event televised on Spanish-language network Telemundo and MSNBC.

He blamed Republican governors for challenging his unilateral action in court.

Obama said that he is confident his administration ultimately will win a legal battle to proceed with his executive actions on immigration, but said it "will take a couple of months" to file and argue the case.

In the meantime, Obama promised Latinos that his border and immigration officials would focus on deporting criminals and recent border crossers, rather than people who have been living in the country for many years.

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Obama says GOP should take the heat for immigration hold ups (+video)

President Barack Obama called out Republicans in Congress for "holding hostage" funding for the Department of Homeland Security, while challenging Americans to change the political environment that has caused immigration reform to stall during a town hall meeting on Wednesday.

The agency in charge of implementing immigration policy, among other duties, is scheduled to run out of funding Friday if the GOP-controlled Congress can't agree to a funding bill.

"Instead of trying to hold hostage funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which is so important for our national security, fund that and let's get on with actually passing comprehensive immigration reform," Obama said at the event, aired on Telemundo and MSNBC, and hosted by Jos Daz-Balart, an anchor on both channels.

The meeting was announced in the days following a ruling last week from a federal district court judge that temporarily blocked Obama's executive action on immigration. The White House said it was a chance for the president to reach the Hispanic community, taking questions from online and members of the audience.

During the event, the president called on voters to make immigration reform a successful social movement -- and a key issue in the next presidential election.

"Every major social movement, every bit of progress in this country, whether it's been the workers' rights movement or the civil rights movement or the women's rights movement, every single bit of that progress had required us to fight and to push and you make progress," Obama said. "You don't get everything right away, and then you push some more."

The president also defended the legality of his executive action, but said that passing comprehensive reform in Congress should be the end goal. When asked about the failure of Congress to pass legislation he laid the blame squarely on the GOP.

"You do a disservice when you suggest that no one was doing anything, then you don't know who was fighting for and against you," Obama said. "The Democratic Party has been consistent. A few Republicans have supported it but let's be clear -- the reason why we don't have a bill is because [House Speaker] John Boehner wouldn't call a vote."

Obama offered praise for 2016 Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush.

"I appreciate Mr. Bush being concerned about immigration reform," he said. "I would suggest that what he do is talk to the speaker of the House and the members of his party."

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Obama calls out GOP on immigration policy

Comprehensive immigration reform must come sooner than later. If not for political gamesmanship, substantive immigration reform would have happened long ago.

Instead, the American public is left waiting for Washington do something while the functional legitimacy of immigration law continues to erode.

At a Feb. 10 Riverside County supervisors meeting, Riverside County supervisors John Benoit and Marion Ashley reiterated their support for immigration reform.

Unfortunately, our federal government has failed to move that issue, and its certainly one that needs to be addressed, said Mr. Benoit. I represent a part of the county that is dramatically impacted by the needs of good people who are here but are not legally here. Thats a problem for them and certainly a problem for our government also.

There are approximately 275,000 undocumented immigrants living in the Inland Empire, according to the Migration Policy Institute. An estimated 150,000 reside in Riverside County, nearly a third of whom live below the poverty line and most of whom are without health insurance.

We educate them. We ought to try to keep them and not let them go back to the countries and then theyre competing against us, said Mr. Ashley at the supervisors meeting.

In 2013, the county supervisors unanimously approved a resolution in support of an immigration reform bill being considered at the time. The resolution claimed that our broken national immigration system undermines our core national and local interests.

Further, the resolution argued that developing a comprehensive, functioning immigration system is essential to ensuring Americas future economic prosperity.

All of these concepts are important to keep in mind amidst ongoing national debate over what to do with the millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States.

It is clear that undocumented immigrants broke the law to get here. It is also clear that our immigration policies have been poorly conceptualized and enforced.

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EDITORIAL: An immigration law eroded