President Barack Obama's hopes for comprehensive immigration reform remain nothing short of "confident."
In a Wednesday interview aired on Telemundo, Obama projected optimism that a deal can be reached by the end of the summer, beginning with the "Gang Of Eight" U.S. senators introducing a bill at the beginning of next month.
“I've always said that if I see a breakdown in the process, that I've got my own legislation," Obama said, according to NBC. "I'm prepared to step in. But I don't think that's going to be necessary. I think there's a commitment -- among this group of Democratic and Republican senators to get this done.”
The "Gang Of Eight" -- which includes Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) -- unveiled its plan on Jan. 28, calling for steps including a pathway to citizenship, increased border security, and improved employment verification systems.
Obama's Wednesday remarks paralleled his perspective from a Monday naturalization ceremony at the White House, where he professed that the issue was no longer about proposals and now about actions.
"We've all proposed solutions," he said. "We've got a lot of white papers and studies. We've just got, at this point, to work up the political courage to do what's required to be done."