President Obama Offers Legal Status To Millions Of Undocumented Immigrants

President Barrack Obama last night announced the most sweeping executive action on immigration in three decades, providing relief for an estimated 4.1 million undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and about 300,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally as children. "I know some of the critics of this action call it amnesty. Well, it’s not," the president said from the East Room of the White House.
"Amnesty is the immigration system we have today -- millions of people who live here without paying their taxes or playing by the rules, while politicians use the issue to scare people and whip up votes at election time. That’s the real amnesty - leaving this broken system the way it is," Obama said. "What I’m describing is accountability."

The action will be finalized today, with the signing of a presidential memorandum at a rally in Las Vegas. It will fulfil, at least in part, the promise Obama first made in 2008 as a candidate to lift the threat of deportation from millions of people living in the U.S. illegally.

The move means nearly half the nation's undocumented immigrants - roughly 5 million people will be eligible for temporary legal status and work permits if they meet select criteria, register with the government and pay a nearly $500 fee.

The announcement set off celebrations on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House and at watch parties organized by immigrant advocacy groups all around the country. It also unleashed a flurry of protests from critics who have asserted Obama is exceeding his constitutional authority and setting a dangerous new precedent.

The White House said the president's primary focus, in light of limitations on his executive power, is on keeping families united. The biggest group that will benefit is an estimated 4 million undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. for at least five years and who have children that were born here as American citizens.

"Undocumented workers broke our immigration laws, and I believe that they must be held accountable," Obama said. But "let’s be honest, tracking down, rounding up, and deporting millions of people isn't realistic. Anyone who suggests otherwise isn't being straight with you.

"That’s why we’re going to keep focusing enforcement resources on actual threats to our security. Felons, not families. Criminals, not children. Gang members, not a mother who's working hard to provide for her kids," Obama said.

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Source: ABC News