President Obama meets with lawmakers about immigration

President Obama and Senior Administration officials met with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on May 3 to discuss fixing the immigration system. The President thanked the Caucus members for joining him in an effort to pass the DREAM Act during the lame-duck session last year. He also reiterated his disappointment that it failed to pass in the Senate after passing with bipartisan votes in the House. He noted his deep disappointment that Congressional action on immigration reform has stalled.
The President was asked by the CHC members to consider a broad range of administrative options. He articulated that his goal is to reform the law. He told the Caucus members that he cannot do this unilaterally, noting that the only way to fix what’s broken about our immigration system is through legislative action in Congress. However, the President agreed to carefully review the Caucus members’ request.
The President reaffirmed that he will continue to work to forge bipartisan consensus and will intensify efforts to lead a civil debate on this issue in the coming weeks and months.