Obama 'Cannot Be Trusted' On Immigration Reform Promises, Republicans Say

Republican House Speaker John Boehner pushed back on immigration reform, saying the party would continue to focus on secure borders and immigration law enforcement as Democrats maintained that they would not support a bill that excluded a path to citizenship. The GOP has said throughout the immigration debate that it would take a piecemeal approach, tackling issues step-by-step, the Associated Press reported. The party believes it is the proper way to deal with the so-called broken system as Republican leaders insisted that Obama's plan was lofty and that he would be "unable to deliver" on his promises for reform.

"Through all the conversations that have occurred, with my own members, with Democrat members, it's clear that dealing with this in bite-sized chunks that members can digest and the American people can digest is the smartest way to go," said Boehner, R-Ohio. "And so I'm much more concerned about doing it right than I am in meeting some deadline."

Obama met with two members who created the original "Gang of Eight" bill Thursday at the White House, Chuck Schumer, D-NY, and John McCain, R-Ariz. Though the process of getting the bill passed has been arduous, the two said they were optimistic about where things were headed. McCain commented on Obama's quiet role in the bill, suggesting that taking a step to the side is a wise move for the president.

"We want to be very careful that we have the president's participation but these members, these Republican House members -- many of them are in districts that they will be representing for a long time - do not feel that they have been unduly pressured by the president of the United States," McCain said. "So I think the president is walking a careful line here, and I think it's the appropriate one."

Boehner said he refused to introduce any new bill to the floor if it didn't have at least 50 percent support from the GOP. The House bill differs from that of the Senate in that it takes on the issue in four pieces, none of which include a path to citizenship. Part of the plan incudes toughening immigration laws, going so far as allowing local police to enforce them in order to raise the level of deportations. Another measure would require employers to verify the legal status of all employees.

House Republicans criticized the Obama administration for delaying a vote on a health care reform and said it was an example of unreliable leadership. The GOP said that it was proof that Obama was unable to keep promises on larger issues and questioned his ability to deliver on immigration reform.