President Barack Obama has said U.S. immigration reform could be achieved within six months, in an interview with Spanish-language TV channel Telemundo, according to BBC News.

The president said reform should pass in 2013 and he would put "everything" into securing a deal even sooner. Obstacles to a deal were political rather than technical, Obama added.

The comments come the day after Obama backed comprehensive immigration reform, and after a group of senators unveiled a similar plan on Monday, Jan 28. Analysts say the focus on immigration reflects the growing influence of Hispanic voters.

"I can guarantee that I will put everything I have behind it," Obama told Telemundo, one of two Spanish-language networks he spoke to on Wednesday.

"What we don't want is to create some vague prospect in the future that somehow comprehensive immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship will happen, you know, manana," Obama said, using the Spanish word for "tomorrow".