WASHINGTON – President Obama said Thursday in a nationally-televised speech that America’s immigration system is broken and he would take action until Congress gets around to it.
“Our immigration system has been broken for decades,” the President said. “And every day we wait to act, millions of undocumented immigrants are living in the shadows: Those who want to pay taxes and play by the same rules as everyone else have no way to live right by the law. That is why President Obama is using his executive authority to address as much of the problem as he can, and why he’ll continue to work with Congress to pass comprehensive reform.”
Under the order of the President, nearly 5 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. may apply for a three-year work permit if they can pass a background check, register with the government and pass other tests. He says his plan will “bring folks out of the shadows”.
“Come out of the shadows and get right with the law,” the President said.
President Obama had a message for those in Congress who didn’t like his plan.
“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.”
“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,” the President said.
Watch the video:
httpv://youtu.be/6Q_Xk66gsRU
