President Obama to grant legal status to 4.5m illegal US immigrants

Yesterday, President Obama made a
blockbuster announcement on immigration
that got a lot of Americans divided. In his new
plan, about 4.5 illegal immigrants in the US
will now be able to get legal status and
allowed to apply for work permits. This applies
to only those who have no criminal records,
have been in the US illegally for at least 5
years and are willing to pay their outstanding
tax. The Republicans are angry though and
call it "lawless amnesty". They believe it will
encourage more people to arrive the US
unlawfully.
"The action by the president yesterday will
only encourage more people to come here
illegally. It also punishes those who have
obeyed the law and waited their turn."
Republican Speaker of the House said today
But fortunately for Obama, he doesn't need the
permission of congress to do this. It's called
executive action - where a president can
bypass the legislature, which he has done.
Continue...
There are about 11 million undocumented
immigrants in the US now and President
Obama believes that a mass deportation of
these people “would be both impossible and
contrary to our character.”
He made the controversial announcement in
an address from the White House yesterday
Nov 20th You can read his full speech (It's
quite a long one) culled from CNN, after the
cut...
My fellow Americans, tonight, I'd like to talk
with you about immigration.
For more than 200 years, our tradition of
welcoming immigrants from around the world
has given us a tremendous advantage over
other nations. It's kept us youthful, dynamic,
and entrepreneurial. It has shaped our
character as a people with limitless
possibilities -- people not trapped by our
past, but able to remake ourselves as we
choose.
But today, our immigration system is broken,
and everybody knows it.
Families who enter our country the right way
and play by the rules watch others flout the
rules. Business owners who offer their
workers good wages and benefits see the
competition exploit undocumented
immigrants by paying them far less. All of us
take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards
of living in America without taking on the
responsibilities of living in America. And
undocumented immigrants who desperately
want to embrace those responsibilities see
little option but to remain in the shadows, or
risk their families being torn apart.
It's been this way for decades. And for
decades, we haven't done much about it.
When I took office, I committed to fixing this
broken immigration system. And I began by
doing what I could to secure our borders.
Today, we have more agents and technology
deployed to secure our southern border than
at any time in our history. And over the past
six years, illegal border crossings have been
cut by more than half. Although this summer,
there was a brief spike in unaccompanied
children being apprehended at our border, the
number of such children is now actually lower
than it's been in nearly two years. Overall,
the number of people trying to cross our
border illegally is at its lowest level since the
1970s. Those are the facts.
Meanwhile, I worked with Congress on a
comprehensive fix, and last year, 68
Democrats, Republicans, and Independents
came together to pass a bipartisan bill in the
Senate. It wasn't perfect. It was a
compromise, but it reflected common sense.
It would have doubled the number of border
patrol agents, while giving undocumented
immigrants a pathway to citizenship if they
paid a fine, started paying their taxes, and
went to the back of the line. And independent
experts said that it would help grow our
economy and shrink our deficits.
Had the House of Representatives allowed
that kind of a bill a simple yes-or-no vote, it
would have passed with support from both
parties, and today it would be the law. But
for a year and a half now, Republican leaders
in the House have refused to allow that
simple vote.
Now, I continue to believe that the best way
to solve this problem is by working together
to pass that kind of common sense law. But
until that happens, 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.
Tonight, I am announcing those actions.
First, we'll build on our progress at the
border with additional resources for our law
enforcement personnel so that they can stem
the flow of illegal crossings, and speed the
return of those who do cross over.
Second, I will make it easier and faster for
high-skilled immigrants, graduates, and
entrepreneurs to stay and contribute to our
economy, as so many business leaders have
proposed.
Third, we'll take steps to deal responsibly
with the millions of undocumented
immigrants who already live in our country.
I want to say more about this third issue,
because it generates the most passion and
controversy. Even as we are a nation of
immigrants, we are also a nation of laws.
Undocumented workers broke our
immigration laws, and I believe that they
must be held accountable -- especially those
who may be dangerous. That's why, over the
past six years, deportations of criminals are
up 80 percent. And 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. We'll prioritize, just
like law enforcement does every day.
But even as we focus on deporting criminals,
the fact is, millions of immigrants -- in every
state, of every race and nationality -- will still
live here illegally. And 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. It's also not who we are as Americans.
After all, most of these immigrants have been
here a long time. They work hard, often in
tough, low-paying jobs. They support their
families. They worship at our churches. Many
of their kids are American-born or spent
most of their lives here, and their hopes,
dreams, and patriotism are just like ours.
As my predecessor, President Bush, once put
it: "They are a part of American life."
Now here's the thing: we expect people who
live in this country to play by the rules. We
expect that those who cut the line will not be
unfairly rewarded. So we're going to offer the
following deal: If you've been in America for
more than five years; if you have children
who are American citizens or legal residents;
if you register, pass a criminal background
check, and you're willing to pay your fair
share of taxes -- you'll be able to apply to
stay in this country temporarily, without fear
of deportation. You can come out of the
shadows and get right with the law.
That's what this deal is. Now let's be clear
about what it isn't. This deal does not apply
to anyone who has come to this country
recently. It does not apply to anyone who
might come to America illegally in the future.
It does not grant citizenship, or the right to
stay here permanently, or offer the same
benefits that citizens receive -- only Congress
can do that. All we're saying is we're not
going to deport you.
I know some of the critics of this action call
it amnesty. Well, it's not. 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. Mass amnesty
would be unfair. Mass deportation would be
both impossible and contrary to our
character. What I'm describing is
accountability -- a commonsense, middle
ground approach: If you meet the criteria, you
can come out of the shadows and get right
with the law. If you're a criminal, you'll be
deported. If you plan to enter the U.S.
illegally, your chances of getting caught and
sent back just went up.
The actions I'm taking are not only lawful,
they're the kinds of actions taken by every
single Republican President and every single
Democratic President for the past half
century. And to those Members of Congress
who question my authority to make our
immigration system work better, or question
the wisdom of me acting where Congress has
failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill. I want
to work with both parties to pass a more
permanent legislative solution. And the day I
sign that bill into law, the actions I take will
no longer be necessary. Meanwhile, don't let
a disagreement over a single issue be a
dealbreaker on every issue. That's not how
our democracy works, and Congress certainly
shouldn't shut down our government again
just because we disagree on this. Americans
are tired of gridlock. What our country needs
from us right now is a common purpose -- a
higher purpose.
Most Americans support the types of reforms
I've talked about tonight. But I understand
the disagreements held by many of you at
home. Millions of us, myself included, go
back generations in this country, with
ancestors who put in the painstaking work to
become citizens. So we don't like the notion
that anyone might get a free pass to
American citizenship. I know that some worry
immigration will change the very fabric of
who we are, or take our jobs, or stick it to
middle-class families at a time when they
already feel like they've gotten the raw end of
the deal for over a decade. I hear these
concerns. But that's not what these steps
would do. Our history and the facts show that
immigrants are a net plus for our economy
and our society. And I believe it's important
that all of us have this debate without
impugning each other's character.
Because for all the back-and-forth of
Washington, we have to remember that this
debate is about something bigger. It's about
who we are as a country, and who we want
to be for future generations.
Are we a nation that tolerates the hypocrisy
of a system where workers who pick our fruit
and make our beds never have a chance to
get right with the law? Or are we a nation
that gives them a chance to make amends,
take responsibility, and give their kids a
better future?
Are we a nation that accepts the cruelty of
ripping children from their parents' arms? Or
are we a nation that values families, and
works to keep them together?
Are we a nation that educates the world's
best and brightest in our universities, only to
send them home to create businesses in
countries that compete against us? Or are we
a nation that encourages them to stay and
create jobs, businesses, and industries right
here in America?
That's what this debate is all about. We need
more than politics as usual when it comes to
immigration; we need reasoned, thoughtful,
compassionate debate that focuses on our
hopes, not our fears.
I know the politics of this issue are tough.
But let me tell you why I have come to feel so
strongly about it. Over the past few years, I
have seen the determination of immigrant
fathers who worked two or three jobs, without
taking a dime from the government, and at
risk at any moment of losing it all, just to
build a better life for their kids. I've seen the
heartbreak and anxiety of children whose
mothers might be taken away from them just
because they didn't have the right papers.
I've seen the courage of students who, except
for the circumstances of their birth, are as
American as Malia or Sasha; students who
bravely come out as undocumented in hopes
they could make a difference in a country
they love. These people -- our neighbors, our
classmates, our friends -- they did not come
here in search of a free ride or an easy life.
They came to work, and study, and serve in
our military, and above all, contribute to
America's success.
Tomorrow, I'll travel to Las Vegas and meet
with some of these students, including a
young woman named Astrid Silva. Astrid was
brought to America when she was four years
old. Her only possessions were a cross, her
doll, and the frilly dress she had on. When
she started school, she didn't speak any
English. She caught up to the other kids by
reading newspapers and watching PBS, and
became a good student. Her father worked in
landscaping. Her mother cleaned other
people's homes. They wouldn't let Astrid
apply to a technology magnet school for fear
the paperwork would out her as an
undocumented immigrant -- so she applied
behind their back and got in. Still, she mostly
lived in the shadows -- until her
grandmother, who visited every year from
Mexico, passed away, and she couldn't travel
to the funeral without risk of being found out
and deported. It was around that time she
decided to begin advocating for herself and
others like her, and today, Astrid Silva is a
college student working on her third degree.
Are we a nation that kicks out a striving,
hopeful immigrant like Astrid -- or are we a
nation that finds a way to welcome her in?
Scripture tells us that we shall not oppress a
stranger, for we know the heart of a stranger
-- we were strangers once, too.
My fellow Americans, we are and always will
be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers
once, too. And whether our forebears were
strangers who crossed the Atlantic, or the
Pacific, or the Rio Grande, we are here only
because this country welcomed them in, and
taught them that to be an American is about
something more than what we look like, or
what our last names are, or how we worship.
What makes us Americans is our shared
commitment to an ideal -- that all of us are
created equal, and all of us have the chance
to make of our lives what we will.
That's the country our parents and
grandparents and generations before them
built for us. That's the tradition we must
uphold. That's the legacy we must leave for
those who are yet to come.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless this
country we love.