Immigration Reform 2012: President Obama Promises Comprehensive Reform in Second Term

It has been more than one week since President Obama has been reelected.

During his first year, the president promised to achieve comprehensive immigration reform but that didn't happen - calling it the biggest failure of this first time. On Wednesday, the president said he plans to make this a top priority in his final term as president.

"I think it should include a continuation of the strong border security measures that we've taken because we have to secure our borders," Obama said. I think it should contain serious penalties for companies that are purposely hiring undocumented workers and taking advantage of them. And I do think that there should be a pathway for legal status for those who are living in this country, are not engaged in criminal activity, are here simply to work. It's important for them to pay back-taxes. It's important for them to learn English. It's important for them to potentially pay a fine. But to give them the avenue whereby they can resolve their legal status here in this country I think is very important."

Obama said young people who came to the United States as children "shouldn't be under the cloud of deportation, that we should give them every opportunity to earn their citizenship."

In June, President Barack Obama announced that his administration will stop deporting undocumented immigrant youths who grew up in the United States and who meet certain requirements. The government will also offer them a chance to apply for work permits.

House Speaker John Boehner said the country's immigration system was broken and said Obama had to take the lead. The president noted that comprehensive immigration reform has "historically been a partisan issue."

"We've had President Bush and John McCain and others who have supported comprehensive immigration reform in the past," Obama said. "So we need to seize the moment. And my expectation is, is that we get a bill introduced and we begin the process in Congress very soon after my inauguration. And in fact, some conversations I think are already beginning to take place among senators and congressmen and my staff about what would this look like."

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, 71 percent of Latinos voted for Obama and 27 percent voted for Romney. Obama called the Latino turn out "encouraging."

"It is the fastest-growing group in the country," the president said. "And historically what you've seen is the Latino vote, vote at lower rates than the broader population, and that's beginning to change. You're starting to see a sense of empowerment and civic participation that I think is going to be powerful and good for the country."