Immigration Reform 2012: Top Priority for US Latinos; What They Want

President Obama is resettling in his role as president and while many issues are expected to be addressed, the president is also expected to tackle immigration reform before the start of the next campaign season.

Before the election, the president said his biggest failure was not getting immigration reform in his first term.

According to Latino Decisions' Gary Segura, Latinos want meaningful adjustment of status with a path to citizenship, reasonable, but not excessive, prerequisites to status adjustment and more generous treatment of "Dream"-eligible youth.

"Latino voters, indeed ALL voters, prefer a comprehensive reform plan that includes a path to citizenship," Segura wrote. "For non-Latinos, the preferred path is an "earned" citizenship, which likely includes provisions regarding back taxes and learning English. But the bottom line is that the creation of a permanent alien class, guest workers or another form of residency that never turns into full social membership, is a non-starter."

The president said he plans to make immigration reform 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."

Yesterday, Obama met with Mexican President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto and Nieto said he supported the president's plan for reform.

"We fully support your proposals," Pena Nieto told reporters before the meeting. "We want to contribute, we really want to participate .... in the betterment and the well-being of so many millions of people who live in your country."

After the general elections, Democratic Senator Charles Schumer said he and Republican Lindsey Graham had agreed to restart talks on a proposal that includes a path to citizenship for the approximately 11.2 million illegal immigrants in the country, according to a Reuters report.

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.