President Obama has announced during a prime-time television address on Thursday evening that he will take executive action on immigration. The sweeping actions aim to shield as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation and will grant work permits to some.
A new program will allow the parents of US citizens and permanent residents to apply for work permits and deferred deportation. It is estimated that around 4 million parents are eligible to take advantage of this sweeping reform. To be eligible, parents must be here illegally for at least five years and have no felony convictions.
In addition, federal law enforcement officers are directed to shift enforcement efforts to illegal immigrants with criminal records, gang affiliations, or ties to terrorism going forward. There will also be a long-overdue expansion of high-tech visas, and restrictions on would-be entrepreneurs will be loosened to allow them to travel more freely to the US to launch companies.
The GOP has confirmed that the executive actions cannot be blocked through appropriations. While many within the GOP claim the President does not have legal authority to make such sweeping actions, the White House maintains it does and points to the fact that every US President in the last half century has taken executive action on immigration.