Boehner Tells Obama Immigration Reform Won't Happen This Year, So Now Obama Will Take Action Himself
A White House official said Obama will speak at the White House on Monday, when he will announce a new push to "fix as much of our broken immigration system as he can through executive action." Obama is set to speak at 2:50 p.m. ET from the White House.
The White House official said Obama will take a few immediate steps. First, he will direct the Secretary of Homeland Security and Attorney General to move enforcement resources from the interior to the border. He will also direct his administration to identify additional possible steps to take. Obama will expect recommendations from his team by the end of the summer.
"The President will continue to make clear that regardless of the steps he takes through administrative action, nothing replaces Congress's ability to pass commonsense immigration reform, and will continue to make the case for a comprehensive bill," the White House official said.
Obama had given Boehner a final deadline of sorts on immigration reform late last month, delaying any executive action on the issue due to a belief there was still a "window" for legislation to pass. But there was no sign Boehner would call for a vote on the issue this year, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's stunning primary loss earlier this month essentially ended any chance of the issue being taken up in the House before the mid-term elections.
Boehner's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.