On April 19, President Obama assembled a bipartisan group of current and former government officials, law enforcement representatives, and business, faith and civic leaders, to gather their input regarding possibilities for immigration reform. A White House press statement about the meeting stated that the President encouraged participants to take a public role and solicit input from their communities about how immigration reform can be achieved.

As reported by CNN, the President remains committed to reform, although he recognizes that progress will not be easy given the politically divided Congress. Even before the Democrats’ losses in the 2010 Congressional election, substantial reform proposals made during President Obama’s term, such as the DREAM Act, have been unsuccessful. USA Today reports that the President favors legislation that would simultaneously increase border security and offer current illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, although some Republican lawmakers contend that this would reward lawbreakers.