Obama Promises Immigration Reform in First Year of Second Term

Obama told Univision he would like to do immigration this year, but Republican opposition is too intense.

By Jorge Rivas Apr 16, 2012

On Friday evening, [Univision News’ new anchor](http://univisionnews.tumblr.com/post/21042459481/enrique-acevedo-news-anchor-univision) anchor Enrique Acevedo spoke with President Barack Obama about some of the country’s most pressing issues at the moment. Below is a [transcripts](http://univisionnews.tumblr.com/post/21081359245/obama-dont-mind-debating-legalization-of-drugs) on Obama’s comments on immigration reform and the Trayvon Martin case. **Enrique Acevedo:** Mr. President, excuse the personal note, but I grew up in a generation that has lived with the unfulfilled promise of immigration reform, and I’m not that young. And do you think if you are reelected you will be the President that gets it done? And can you promise you’ll do it within the first year of your second term? **President Barack Obama:** I can promise that I will try to do it in the first year of my second term. I want to try this year. The challenge we’ve got on immigration reform is very simple. I’ve got a majority of Democrats who are prepared to vote for it, and I’ve got no Republicans who are prepared to vote for it. It’s worse than that. We now have a Republican nominee who said that the Arizona laws are a model for the country; that — and these are laws that potentially would allow someone to be stopped and picked up and asked where their citizenship papers are based on an assumption.