Mediaboss Marketing

By Andrew Rafferty

The White House used Cinco de Mayo celebrations on Monday to continue the push for immigration reform and slam Republicans in the House for blocking a comprehensive reform bill passed by the Senate last year.

"So far, the Republicans in the House have refused to let meaningful immigration reform to move forward at all, Obama said during a reception at the White House. We know there are Republicans in the House who want to do the right thing."

The president called on those in attendance to pressure Congress in the coming months to address an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, saying it is time the GOP "catch up with the rest of the country."

The Senate passed an immigration bill in 2013, but the Republican-led House has failed to move on the legislation. House Speaker John Boehner has said Congress cannot trust the administration to implement the law as passed, citing changes to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act as proof.

Earlier in the day, Vice President Joe Biden even more forcefully called for reform at a breakfast highlighting the success of Hispanic Americans.

Its time for [Boehner] to stand up, stand up and not let the minorityI think its a minorityof the Republican Party in the House keep us from moving in a way that will change the circumstances for millions and millions of lives, Biden said.

First published May 5 2014, 3:40 PM

Andrew Rafferty has been a political reporter for NBCNews.com since 2013. Rafferty writes and reports on politics for the web, and shoots and produces video for all NBC platforms.

Prior to joining NBCNews.com, Rafferty was a campaign reporter covering the 2012 presidential election. Rafferty was on the road for both the Republican primaries and general election, providing content for both the web and television.

Continue reading here:
White House Uses Cinco de Mayo to Renew Push for Immigration Reform