Boehner Wants Immigration Reform: ‘It Is Just Time to Deal With It’ (+video)

Photo Credit: AP / Carolyn Kaster

Photo Credit: AP / Carolyn Kaster

House Speaker John Boehner said at a press conference today that “it is just time to deal with” the issue of immigration reform, indicating he hopes to enact an immigration law in the coming year.

Meanwhile, Boehner’s spokesman, Michael Steel, did not respond this afternoon to an emailed question from CNSNews.com asking him whether the speaker would rule out enacting a law that granted legal status or a pathway to citizenship to illegal aliens.

Boehner also warned President Obama not to take unilateral action on immigration, saying that if he did so it would prevent Congress from actually passing legislation for the same purpose.

“I want to talk to our members about how to move forward, but I’ve made my position very clear,” Boehner said. “It is time for the Congress of the United States to deal with a very difficult issue in our society. This immigration issue has become a political football over the last ten years or more. It is just time to deal with it.”

When a reporter asked Boehner whether a Republican presidential nominee could “afford to run if you have not acted on this issue,” Boehner said: “This is not about politics. This is about doing the right thing for the country.”

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