"We think everybody ought to have the right to work hard and to progress to citizenship," Trumka said.

Meanwhile, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue has been in talks with Trumka on the issue. He said after Obama's remarks that American business hoped for changes this year.

"We should seize this opportunity to create an immigration system that serves the interests of our economy, our businesses, and our society," Donohue said.

In a sign of the heated public debate on the issue, a group of about two dozen protesters standing across the street from the Las Vegas high school waved signs opposing amnesty for undocument immigrants as Obama's motorcade drove past.