Immigration Reform Obama: The new law is expected to be released in April

Immigration Reform Obama: The new law is expected to be released in April ABC said that on Wednesday, President Obama said in an interview with Univision Channel...

Immigration Reform Obama: The new law is expected to be released in April ABC said that on Wednesday, President Obama said in an interview with the Univision channel that he expected the new immigration law to be submitted to the Senate in April, and that Congress would eventually pass the bill this summer. Obama said that although the "Gang of Eight" composed of lawmakers from both parties has missed the deadline to submit a comprehensive immigration reform bill by the end of March, "they are making progress and are very close to reaching a final bill." In the interview, Obama said: "In fact, I am very optimistic that when these lawmakers come back from vacation, they will submit an immigration bill. I expect that the new immigration law will be submitted to the Senate next month." NBC has reported that Obama called on lawmakers in Washington to muster the "political courage" to pass comprehensive immigration reform so that he can sign the law into law "as soon as possible." "We're making progress, but we have to get this done," Obama said at a naturalization ceremony for 28 people at the White House on Monday. The White House has pledged to support bipartisan efforts by lawmakers to amend the reform law behind closed doors. Obama said he expected to introduce a bill next month and debate the draft. "We've got various proposed solutions, we've got a lot of white papers," he said. "We just have to muster the political courage now to do what needs to be done." Reforms should include border security measures, an approach to "holding employers accountable," a modernized legal immigration system and "a responsible pathway to citizenship." Before Obama spoke, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano led the new citizens, including 13 service members, in the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. The new citizens came from 26 different countries. Obama used his speech not only to congratulate the new citizens, but to highlight the stories of several of them that help him argue for the need for immigration reform. He said of Kingsley Elebo, a 35-year-old native of Nigeria who has a master's degree in information technology and is now working on his Ph.D. He wants to become a professor so that he can help America lead the world in tomorrow's high-tech industries. "Immigration makes us stronger," Obama said. ""It energizes us. It makes us hungry, it makes us prosperous. It's part of what makes America vibrant. Meanwhile, Organizing for Action, an affiliate of the president's reform movement, has begun the debate, posting stories on their website to draw attention to the immigration issue.