WASHINGTON — Facing weakening support among Hispanics, President Obama expressed deep frustration yesterday over what he called an inaccurate perception that he can fix the nation’s flawed immigration system on his own.
“This notion that somehow I can just change the laws unilaterally is just not true,” Obama said during a White House roundtable targeting Hispanic voters.
The president blamed Republicans in Congress for failing to join Democrats in supporting legislation that would address the flow of foreigners into the United States and deal with illegal immigrants already here.
“Only a few years ago, you had some Republicans who recognized that we needed to fix our immigration system,” Obama said, noting that his predecessor, George W. Bush, was among them.
“Right now you do not have that kind of leadership coming from the Republican Party.”
A strong majority of Hispanics supported Obama’s election in 2008. But his support among Hispanics has declined, as it has in the broader population.
A recent Gallup poll found 48 percent of Hispanic voters approving of Obama’s job performance, compared with 60 percent in January.