Obama: ‘Best’ way to curb illegal immigration is economic growth

President Obama said yesterday that El Salvador's president is providing a strong incentive to keep his country's citizens from entering the United States illegally, by promoting economic growth in the region.

"President Funes is committed to creating more economic opportunities here in El Salvador so that people don't feel like they have to head north to provide for their families," Obama said, according to the New York Times. About 2 million people from El Salvador are in the United States, amounting to a third of its in-country population.

Obama added that he hopes comprehensive immigration reform will pass, but that the politics are difficult. Most congressional Republicans oppose any path to citizenship as "amnesty."

(Obama and Funes: AP.)