WASHINGTON — The White House says President Barack Obama has called House Speaker John Boehner and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to urge them to have the House act on an overhaul of immigration law.

Obama made the call while traveling in Africa. The call came in the wake of Thursday's passage in the Senate of an immigration bill that would provide a path to citizenship for immigrants in the United States illegally and that would heavily fortify the U.S. border.

The White House told both leaders that immigration is a priority for him.

Despite a bipartisan 68-32 vote in the Senate, prospects for the legislation in the House are far more uncertain.