In his weekly address this Independence Day, President Barack Obama argued passionately for a new immigration policy, stating that welcoming immigrants to the United States is “central to our way of life” (via Reuters).

The president also took part on Friday in a naturalization ceremony for foreign-born men and women who gained citizenship for their military service. 

As immigration becomes an unavoidable crisis, Obama is caught between a rock and a hard place. (Pete Souza, Wikimedia Commons)

“We have to fix our immigration system, which is broken, and pass common-sense immigration reform,” he said during the ceremony. 

Obama’s hopes for an overhaul of immigration policy hangs precariously - an attempt to pass such legislation collapsed earlier this year when House Speaker John Boehner informed him that the House would not hold a vote. All the while, the nation faces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis as tens of thousands of unaccompanied children from Latin America surge across the border.

READ MORE: Southern California To Receive Hundreds Of Undocumented Migrants

“The basic idea of welcoming immigrants to our shores is central to our way of life,” Obama stated, echoing his vows to take executive actions that will make it easier for undocumented people to remain in the U.S. 

Reach Executive Producer Ashley Yang here. Follow her here.