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House Speaker John Boehner says he was just teasing when he said his Republican colleagues whined that immigration reform is 'too hard.' Boehner says that 'you tease the ones you love, right?'

House Speaker John Boehner told Republican lawmakers Tuesday he was just teasing them when he lampooned their reluctance to act on immigration legislation, insisting that he blames President Barack Obama for inaction on the issue, not the GOP.

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"You tease the ones you love, right? But some people misunderstood what I had to say," Boehner told reporters after a closed-door meeting with the House GOP where he offered the explanation. "I can rib people just a little too much sometimes. This wouldn't be the first time."

The comments in question happened at a Rotary Club lunch in Ohio last week when Boehner said Republican House members don't want to take on immigration because it's too difficult.

What Boehner said, according to Cincinnati.com was:

"Here's the attitude. Ohhhh. Don't make me do this. Ohhhh. This is too hard," Boehner whined before a luncheon crowd at Brown's Run County Club in Madison Township.

"We get elected to make choices. We get elected to solve problems and it's remarkable to me how many of my colleagues just don't want to ... They'll take the path of least resistance."

Boehner said he's been working for 16 or 17 months trying to push Congress to deal with immigration reform.

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Immigration reform 'too hard' for Republicans? Boehner says he was teasing (+video)

Over 250 evangelical leaders arrive on Capitol Hill Tuesday to urge Congress to pass immigration reform. Churches have been conspicuous in their support of immigration reform.

Two weeks ago, the Rev. Luis Corts stood outside the White House after he and other faith leaders came to town to talk about immigration reform.

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Tuesday morning, the same scene will play out on Capitol Hill, as over 250 evangelical pastors from 25 states meet with their members of Congress to urge them to take action on immigration reform.

With House Republicans safe in their seats and Senate Republicans in line to make gains this fall, the chances for any movement on immigration reform before the midterm elections looks dim. But religious leaders around the country don't appear willing to take "no" for an answer.

Though various denominations often don't see eye to eye on contentious social matters such as same-sex marriage and abortion, legislation to overhaul the nation's immigration system has overwhelmingly drawn them together.

"It is the first and only political issue in this country where we all agree," Mr. Corts told reporters on April 15.

Support from the pulpit for America's undocumented immigrants is hardly new. The sanctuary movement of the 1980s put pressure on politicians to take in immigrants fleeing the civil wars of Central America. Some say the movement played a role in the Reagan administration's decision to push for the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which granted legal status to some 3 million people.

Today, immigrants are becoming increasingly integral members of shrinking American churches, and that has given the push for immigration reform a different kind of urgency.

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Why Christian leaders put aside differences to push immigration reform (+video)

House Speaker John Boehner says he was just teasing when he said his Republican colleagues whined that immigration reform is 'too hard.' Boehner says that 'you tease the ones you love, right?'

House Speaker John Boehner told Republican lawmakers Tuesday he was just teasing them when he lampooned their reluctance to act on immigration legislation, insisting that he blames President Barack Obama for inaction on the issue, not the GOP.

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition

"You tease the ones you love, right? But some people misunderstood what I had to say," Boehner told reporters after a closed-door meeting with the House GOP where he offered the explanation. "I can rib people just a little too much sometimes. This wouldn't be the first time."

The comments in question happened at a Rotary Club lunch in Ohio last week when Boehner said Republican House members don't want to take on immigration because it's too difficult.

What Boehner said, according to Cincinnati.com was:

"Here's the attitude. Ohhhh. Don't make me do this. Ohhhh. This is too hard," Boehner whined before a luncheon crowd at Brown's Run County Club in Madison Township.

"We get elected to make choices. We get elected to solve problems and it's remarkable to me how many of my colleagues just don't want to ... They'll take the path of least resistance."

Boehner said he's been working for 16 or 17 months trying to push Congress to deal with immigration reform.

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Immigration reform 'too hard' for Republicans? Boehner says he was just teasing

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More than a dozen area pastors will gather in Washington D.C., today, as part of a national effort to encourage Congress to pass immigration reform before the end of the year.

Carl Ruby, executive director of WelcomeSpringfield.org, painted the issue as a moral obligation and said the countrys current laws are harmful to local families.

The local group will gather with hundreds of other pastors nationally in an event called Pastors for Reform, sponsored by the Evangelical Immigration Table. However, opponents argued action is unlikely this year because many Republican voters oppose making such sweeping reforms and because of skepticism that the laws would be enforced.

The issue was highlighted recently when Republican House Speaker John Boehner, whose district includes Springfield, drew criticism for comments he made at a Middletown Rotary Club meeting earlier this month. Boehner imitated his fellow House Republicans whining, and said his colleagues dont have the appetite to deal with the issue because its too difficult.

Members of the Springfield group plan to meet today with Boehner, along with Congressmen Mike Turner, and U.S. Representatives Brad Wenstrup, Steve Chabot and Pat Tiberi.

The pastors will push for reforms they argue will improve national security, but also keep families intact and eventually provide a way for immigrants to earn citizenship after they have paid fines and waited behind others who are currently trying to enter the country legally. Rubys group, WelcomeSpringfield.org, encourages immigrant workers to move to the area and start businesses to help revitalize the regions economy.

We believe that justice for people who are waiting for immigration reform has taken too long, Ruby said.

While some reform is needed, the comprehensive proposal that was passed several months ago in the U.S. Senate will likely remain stalled in the U.S. House, said Jon Feere, legal policy analyst for the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, D.C. The non-profit agency advocates for tighter immigration controls.

Despite Boehners comments, voter opposition to the Senate proposals is the reason reforms have seen little support in the U.S. House, Feere said. He argued previous reforms have led to increased immigration, but little enforcement.

Thats why I think its very unlikely that well see any type of legislation prior to the mid-terms, Feere said. After the mid-terms its a whole different ballgame, but I think that most members of Congress who are up for reelection are not interested in having this debate any time soon.

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Pastors to advocate for immigration reform