Washington, Apr 9 (EFE).- U.S. President Barack Obama said prior to a regional summit that he remained committed to promoting security and prosperity in Central America and to pushing through an overhaul of the U.S. immigration system.

 

“Throughout my trip this week (to Jamaica and the April 10-11 Summit of the Americas in Panama City), I’ll continue to make the case for our $1 billion request to Congress,” Obama said in an exclusive interview with Efe, referring to his administration’s plan to fund the so-called Plan of the Alliance for Prosperity in the Northern Triangle (Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador).

 

That plan stems from a humanitarian crisis on the United States’ southwestern border last year, when tens of thousands of people – mostly from those three countries and many of them unaccompanied minors – tried to cross the border illegally.

 

The funds request, which is included in his administration’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2016 and requires approval by the Republican-controlled Congress, “is not simply for security alone or focused exclusively on the spike in migration that we saw,” Obama said.

 

“Rather, it’s part of our comprehensive approach to partner with Central American countries as they address the underlying factors that have led many in the past to take the dangerous journey north, including violence and poverty.”

 

He added that his administration has engaged in “ongoing efforts to promote security and prosperity in the region, including successful, community-level violence prevention programs.”

 

The $1 billion request to Congress aims to “help Central America’s leaders make the difficult reforms and investments required to address the region’s interlocking security, governance and economic challenges.”

 

“The people of the region are seeking the same things as people everywhere – institutions that are democratic, effective, accountable and transparent, communities that are safe for their families, and economies that are integrated so the region can compete in the global economy. The United States is determined to be their partner in building that future,” Obama said.

 

Separately, the president said he remained committed to fixing the United States’ “broken” immigration system.

 

He noted that some of the executive actions he announced last year to partly improve the system are being held up in court but that he was confident “the law is on our side and that we will ultimately prevail.”

 

Among the actions temporarily blocked is a new program that would remove the threat of deportation for millions of undocumented immigrants who are parents of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents and who meet certain requirements.

 

“Still, the actions I took are not a substitute for the comprehensive, bipartisan reform that we need to improve our broader immigration system,” Obama said.

 

“Millions of people continue to live in the shadows. And so I remain committed to working with Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform.”

 

Last year, a bipartisan majority in the then-Democratic-led Senate passed a comprehensive immigration overhaul bill, but House Speaker John Boehner refused to put the bill up for a vote.

 

Immigration overhaul advocates now face an even stiffer challenge after the Republicans seized a majority in the Senate in the midterm elections last November, a result that gave them control of both houses of Congress. EFE