We won't deport you
Pledging to fix America's "broken" immigration system, President Barack Obama offered five million undocumented migrants protection from deportation Thursday, allowing families to emerge from the shadows and seek work permits.
In a move that infuriated his Republican critics and drew unspecified pledges to counter it, Obama said nearly all undocumented people living in the country for more than five years and who have a child who is a US citizen or legal permanent resident can apply for a three-year work authorization.
The president also broadened the program he launched in 2012 that provides temporary residency to young undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States before the age of 16.
"There are actions I have the legal authority to take as president -- the same kinds of actions taken by Democratic and Republican presidents before me -- that will help make our immigration system more fair and more just," Obama said in a 15-minute speech broadcast from the White House.
The order will affect about 44 percent of the 11.3 million people -- mostly from Mexico and Central America -- living in the United States illegally and doing menial jobs that most Americans snubb.
But he quickly stressed that the sweeping order, the most comprehensive immigration step in years, "does not grant citizenship, or the right to stay here permanently, or offer the same benefits that citizens receive.
"Only Congress can do that," he added. "All we're saying is we're not going to deport you."
US House Speaker John Boehner yesterday said that President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration has sabotaged chances for bipartisan legislation.
Boehner said House Republicans intend to fight the president's action but did not detail a course of action.
Obama's executive order shifts US policy from a dragnet approach to all illegal immigrants to a focus on deporting convicted felons and those who pose a danger to society.
People living and working illegally in the country and who meet the criteria can apply for deferred deportation from next spring, the White House said.
Terming America “a nation of immigrants,” he urged America to show compassion to newcomers who entered the country illegally but have worked hard and put down roots yet still “see little option but to remain in the shadows or risk their families being torn apart”.
Under the new rules, those applying for deferred action must have a clean criminal record, pass a background check, and pay taxes.
The plan expands the program allowing temporary residency cards for minors to include those of all ages, provided they arrived in country prior to January 1, 2010 and were 16 or younger when they entered. And it also eases legal immigration rules for high-tech workers and students in "STEM" fields -- science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Meanwhile, the White House admitted Thursday it was disappointed that leading US television networks -- ABC, NBC and CBS -- have decided to snub President Barack Obama's prime-time address on immigration.
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