Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Tens of thousands of people turned out on Washington 's National Mall on Sunday to support the Obama administration in its next big battle , a renewed effort to overhaul U.S. immigration laws . Speaking by video to the crowd , President Obama said he would do `` everything in my power '' to get a bipartisan deal within the year . `` You know as well as I do that this wo n't be easy , and it wo n't happen overnight , '' Obama said . `` But if we work together across ethnic , state and party lines , we can build a future worthy of our history as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws . '' Obama 's appearance was followed by comments from Gustavo Torres , executive director of the Baltimore-based immigrant advocacy group CASA de Maryland . Torres told the crowd , `` Mr. President , we are going to hold you accountable . '' Though overshadowed by the historic debate on health care taking place in the nearby halls of Congress , Sunday 's rally set the stage for a revival of efforts to reshape U.S. immigration law . The issue has been largely sidelined since a similar push by the Bush administration failed in 2007 . `` You are a spectacular sight , '' Ali Noorani , chairman of the coalition that organized the demonstration , told the crowd . Noorani said the rally had drawn more than 150,000 people `` from across the country , and we are demanding comprehensive immigration reform now . '' Noorani 's figure could not be verified immediately . The crowd packed more than two blocks of the Mall between the Capitol and the Washington Monument . Then-President George W. Bush supported a bipartisan effort to overhaul U.S. immigration laws four years ago , proposing to set up a path to legal status for the estimated 11 million people in the United States without authorization . But those measures were criticized as establishing amnesty for illegal immigrants , and legislation Bush supported died with a Senate filibuster -- one led by members of his own party but joined by more than a dozen Democrats . Sunday 's event followed last week 's publication of a new plan backed by Sen. Charles Schumer , D-New York , and Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-South Carolina . The plan would create a `` tough but fair '' path to legalization , as well as a temporary worker program and tighter border controls , the sponsors wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece Friday . Obama called the senators ' plans promising and said it should be the basis for moving forward . He called on Congress to act on that plan at the earliest possible opportunity . Obama 's push on immigration also helped secure a key vote for his health care bill . Rep. Luis Gutierrez , D-Illinois , announced his support for the bill after receiving a commitment to move forward on immigration `` as soon as possible . '' `` The wait is over . The time is now , '' Gutierrez told Sunday 's rally . `` We 're ready to turn our hope into victory . '' CNN 's Sandra Endo contributed to this report .