Last night, we heard from the President again on the importance of fixing the broken immigration system. He has expressed similar concerns and made a series of promises since the days of his presidential campaign in 2008.

Following his State of the Union Address, we received a message today from the Obama for America Campaign Manager, Jim Messina, who assured us that “the President will be busy doing everything he can to demand action from a Congress that cares more about making a political point than governing. And when they refuse to act, he will.” Our Congress has failed to pass a comprehensive immigration bill; and, the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act fell five votes short at the end of last year. The absence of leadership in Washington does not reflect a willingness to address this real issue in America. We, the Latino and immigrant community, want to know how the president will act if Congress refuses to.

President Obama does not have to wait on Congress to halt the deportation of undocumented youth and young adults. He holds the power to do so. The question is not whether he can or can’t; it is whether he will or will not.

We applaud the President for bringing home our troops, working on job creation, economic growth, and energy efficiency. We expect him to work just as hard to address the promises he has made to the Latino community.

We have heard enough rhetoric. It is now time for more action and less words. This is an issue of primary importance to Latino voters and the immigrant community. President Obama knows “we can’t wait.”

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United We Dream Network is a national network of immigrant youth that organize and advocate for access to college and legal status for ALL. We have members in over 25 states. To learn more, visit www.unitedwedream.org.