Obama uses Cinco de Mayo to push immigration bill

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is telling Latino lawmakers and Hispanic advocates that they should press House Republicans to act on a broad overhaul of immigration laws.

Obama says, quote, “Tell them to get on board.”

Obama was observing the Mexican national holiday of Cinco de Mayo, or fifth of May, in the White House on Monday. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are using the day’s celebration to pressure House Republicans to follow up on legislation that passed the Senate last year.

The Senate bill would expand border security and provide a path to citizenship for many of the 11 million immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. Earlier Monday, Biden said those immigrants shared American values. Biden says, quote, “They may not be citizens, but they are Americans.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS