WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has told religious leaders that he has no plans to make unilateral changes to the nation's immigration laws.

That's according to Luis Cortes, the president of the Hispanic faith-based organization Esperanza. He was among six religious leaders who met with Obama in the Oval Office Tuesday.

Cortes says Obama told the leaders that "he would not be doing anything to change the law as it currently exists." The president's comments come as advocates press the White House to take executive actions to halt some deportations given that immigration reform efforts on Capitol Hill are stalled.

The White House says Obama told the leaders that while his administration can take steps to administer immigration laws, only Congress can permanently fix the broken system.