Obama: immigration reform would be “historic achievement”

“I`m actually confident that there are a range of things that we`re going to be able to get done. I feel confident that the bipartisan work that`s been done on immigration reform will result in a bill that passes the Senate, passes the House, and gets on my desk. And that`s going to be a historic achievement,” Obama told a packed press conference at the White House.

The Senate`s “habit of requiring 60 votes for even the most modest piece of legislation has gummed up the works there,” the president said.

“And I think it comes as no surprise not even to the American people, but even members of Congress themselves that right now things are pretty dysfunctional up on Capitol Hill,” he said.

Nonetheless, the president praised the efforts of both Republicans and Democrats in the debate on an immigration reform bill that would bring 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country out of the shadows.

Obama made that statement the day before his May 2-4 trip to Mexico and Costa Rica during which immigration, trade and public safety will be some of the topics under discussion.

Immigration reform is of particular interest in the region, considering that most of the undocumented population in the United States comes from Mexico and Central America.

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