CHICAGO — Selling his executive action on immigration, President Obama said Tuesday that contributions to the United States by a broad patchwork of immigrants help justify the steps he took to protect workers illegally in the country.
Obama defended actions he announced last week and called on congressional Republicans to pass a comprehensive immigration overhaul. His move has enraged Republicans, who accuse him of overstepping his authority as president.
Speaking at a community center in a predominantly Polish-American neighborhood of Chicago, the president cited studies showing that immigrants open one-quarter of all new businesses in the United States and that 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children.
‘‘Being a nation of immigrants gives us this huge entrepreneurial advantage over other nations,’’ he said.
The White House is trying to broaden the appeal of his immigration measures beyond the predominantly Latino population that lobbied heavily for relief.
Three hecklers interrupted Obama and accused him of not doing enough to stop deporting immigrants and breaking apart families.
After patiently listening to them, Obama said: ‘‘There are other ways of engaging. Just sit down.’’