“To their credit, I think Speaker Boehner and some of the other leaders there do believe that immigration reform is the right thing,” said Obama, according to a transcript, but “a handful of House Republicans” are blocking action.
Obama said he did not expect the House to copy totally the comprehensive Senate bill but there are “core principles” that are vital. Among them, he said, are stronger border security, fair treatment of workers, a faster-moving immigration system, “And we’ve got to make sure that there’s a way for people to earn some pathway to citizenship.”