Obama to Latinos: ‘I ask you to keep believing’

President Barack Obama told a Latino crowd on Thursday that he understands the “deep frustration” the Latino community feels because of his decision to delay executive action on immigration, but he asked them to “keep believing” in him.

“Six years ago, I asked you to believe,” Obama said in his keynote address at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s 37th Annual Awards Gala in Washington, D.C. “And tonight I ask you to keep believing, not just in my ability to bring about change but in your ability to bring about change.”

Obama initially set an end-of-summer deadline to take executive action on immigration. But last month, he pushed back that deadline and said he would act until after the midterm elections.

SEE ALSO: Hispanic Caucus urges Obama to act on immigration by holiday season

The delay frustrated many Latino voters who’ve been calling on Obama to grant deportation relief to millions of undocumented immigrants through executive action. That frustration was shown Thursday night when a Dreamer, identified as Blanca Hernandez, interrupted the president’s speech and pressed him to take executive action immediately.

Obama responded by reiterating his commitment to act by the end of the year to fix as much of the nation’s immigration system as he can without the help of Congress.

“I’ve said before that if Congress fails to live up to its responsibilities to solve this problem, I would act to fix as much of our immigration system as I can on my own—and I meant what I said,” he said. “So this is not a question of if, but when.”

Obama added that he plans to spend the next few weeks explaining to the American people “why immigration reform is good for our economy and why it’s good for everybody.” He also told the Latino audience he’s going to need them “to have my back” once he takes executive action on immigration.

“I need you to keep putting pressure on Congress, because the fact of the matter is no matter how bold I am, nothing I can do will be as comprehensive or lasting as the Senate bill,” he told the Latino crowd, referring to the Senate-approved immigration reform bill. “Anything I can do can be reversed by the next president.”

Furthermore, he asked the Latino audience to “talk to your constituents and your communities, and you’ve got to get them out to vote.” But that may be difficult to do given that many Latinos continue to be disappointed over Obama’s decision to delay executive action.

SEE ALSO: Why Latino leaders are wrong to stand with Obama on immigration

This was the fifth time that Obama has addressed the CHCI annual gala, dating back to when he was a presidential candidate in 2008. He missed the past two years. The event is regarded as the largest Latino gathering in the country and is held every year to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

While Obama gave his speech inside the gala on Thursday, activists with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) were outside picketing and stressing that at least 60,000 people will be deported because of Obama’s delay.

“We want action before, not after the election,” stated Salvador Sarmiento, an activists with NDLON. “There is no excuse for the President to delay reforming a deportation policy that he himself described as inhumane, and there is certainly no excuse for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to accept a new protracted timeline.”