WASHINGTON, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A bipartisan group of U.S. House of Representatives said on Thursday they had reached "an agreement in principle" on the comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
"We have an agreement in principle," said Republican Congressman John Carter as he and five other members of the group ended a two-hour meeting late Thursday afternoon.
The lawmakers decline to discuss details of the bill but said they would meet again next week on drafting the legislative text.
The bipartisan group of lawmakers have met in secret for a long time, but had stalled in recent weeks. Earlier on Thursday, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner urged the House to put its own stamp on immigration reform.
"I know there are a couple of issues that have come up, and I continue to believe that the House needs to deal with this, and the House needs to work its will," said Boehner.
The agreement comes as a bipartisan bill by a Senate group has met resistance while moving through the Senate committee level. The group of eight Senators, dubbed as "Gang of Eight," released their immigration reform bill last month, which has so far received the most attention nationwide.
Immigration system overhaul remains to be President Barack Obama's top legislative priority in his second term of presidency. He has urged the U.S. Senate to move forward the immigration reform bill unveiled by "Gang of Eight." Both the Senate bipartisan group's proposals and the president's own goals include giving an earned citizenship to 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the country, as well as awarding green cards to foreign high-skilled workers.
However, the Senate's bipartisan bill still has a long way to go on the Capitol Hill. Even if it passes the Democrats-controlled Senate, the bill is expected to meet greater resistance in the Republicans-dominated House.
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