San Diego —- Barack Obama told a Latino group Sunday he would make immigration reform a top priority and create a way for 12 million illegal immigrants in America to get "out of the shadows" and gain citizenship if he's elected president.

"Yes, they broke the law, and we should not excuse that," Obama told more than 2,000 attendees at the annual meeting of the National Council of La Raza, the nation's biggest Latino civil rights group. "We should require them to pay a fine, learn English and go to the back of the line for citizenship —- behind those who came here legally.

"But we cannot —- and should not —- deport 12 million people," he said. "That would turn America into something we're not, something we don't want to be."

Obama also unveiled a plan to give tax credits to small businesses that provide health care for employees. And for people who can't get health care through their work, he proposes a national health care system.

"If you're a service worker somewhere who doesn't have health care, you're going to be able to get health care as good as the health care I have as a member of Congress," he said. "And if you can't afford it, we'll subsidize it."

Obama's speech came as he and probable GOP nominee John McCain are stepping up their courting of Latino voters. McCain is scheduled to speak to La Raza today.

McCain, a senator from the border state of Arizona, also supports an eventual path to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the country illegally, although he has shifted his emphasis to securing the U.S. border before turning his focus back to overhauling immigration laws.

Polls show that Latino voters so far greatly favor Obama over McCain. According to a July 2 Gallup poll, Obama leads McCain 59 percent to 29 percent among registered Hispanic voters.

"Make no mistake about it: The Latino community holds this election in [its] hands," Obama said. "Some of the closest contests this November will be in states like Florida, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico —- states with large Latino populations."

Obama pointed out that four years ago, 40,000 registered Latinos in New Mexico didn't vote. Democrat John Kerry lost that state by 6,000 votes.

"I know how powerful this community is, and by the way, so does Senator McCain," Obama said.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.