Obama concedes immigration must wait until next year

Posted: August 13, 2009

By Keith Koffler
Roll Call.com

President Barack Obama on Monday said his crowded agenda will force consideration of immigration reform to wait until next year.

Speaking at a press conference in Guadalajara, Mexico, at a summit with the leaders of Mexico and Canada, Obama said he expects the unveiling of “draft legislation” this year with a list of co-sponsors to be introduced in the House and Senate.

The president said that health overhaul, energy legislation and financial system reform all must come first. “That’s a pretty big stack of bills,” he said.

As the year has progressed, the White House has inched away from moving an immigration bill in 2009, shifting from hopefulness that it can get it done this year to optimism that substantial progress could be made — and finally to Obama’s strong suggestion on Monday that little will be achieved until next year.

But the president asserted that he believes an immigration bill will eventually pass. “I’m comfortable we can get it done,” he said.