Obama urges immigration reform to provide status for "illegal immigrants", and there may be progress in the House of Representatives by the end of the year

Obama urges immigration reform to provide identity for "illegal immigrants", and there may be progress in the House of Representatives by the end of the year. According to CNN: Obama gave a speech on Thursday, urging Congress to step up legislation...

Obama urges immigration reform to provide identity for "unaccounted immigrants", and there may be progress in the House of Representatives by the end of the year. According to CNN: Obama delivered a speech on Thursday urging Congress to step up legislation to advance immigration reform and provide legal status to millions of illegal immigrants as soon as possible. On Wednesday, House Speaker John Boehner expressed optimism that an immigration reform bill would advance in the House by the end of the year, saying Republicans were discussing possible measures to address the issue. A White House official said: "Regular immigration is good for the country. It will grow the economy, reduce the fiscal deficit, and has always been supported by Republicans and Democrats, businessmen and workers, as well as law enforcement and religious leaders." He said the president has clarified basic principles, which include strengthening border security, providing illegal immigrants with a path to become legal citizens, clarifying the responsibilities of employers when hiring illegal immigrants, and creating a new immigration system. As the U.S. federal government shutdown ended last week, Obama said he would put immigration reform at the top of his priority list and hoped Congress would complete legislation this year. A CBS poll released on Wednesday showed that people also strongly support immigration reform. The survey found that a majority of the public supports providing citizenship to undocumented immigrants who meet certain conditions, including through immigration waiting list, paying fines, paying back taxes, passing criminal background checks, and learning English. The survey also found that more people believe that securing the country's borders should take precedence over solving the problem of undocumented immigrants. After the Senate passed an immigration reform bill in July this year, the bill has been pending in the House of Representatives. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives has indicated that it would prefer to tackle smaller bills first rather than pass such a large immigration reform bill at once. House Democrats also proposed their own immigration reform package in June, which eliminated provisions from the Senate plan to expand the Border Patrol. Other aspects are similar to the Senate's immigration reform bill, which provides a way for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States to obtain legal status. The most controversial part is offering one-year citizenship to undocumented immigrants. Many Republicans reject any avenue for amnesty for offenders.