WASHINGTON, November 21 (Sputnik) — Undocumented immigrants will be able to stay in the United States if they have been living in the country for more than five years and if they successfully pass a criminal background check, US President Barack Obama has announced.
"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," Obama said Thursday.
"I know some of the critics of this action call it amnesty. Well, it's not. Amnesty is the immigration system we have today," the US president added, stressing that the US "immigration system is broken – and everybody knows it".
"It's been this way for decades. And for decades, we haven't done much about it," Obama said, explaining that his action is a "common-sense, 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 US illegally, your chances of getting caught and sent back just went up," Obama said.
The US president emphasized that what he is undertaking are "the kinds of actions taken by every single Republican President and every single Democratic President for the past half century".
''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,'' Obama said, adding that he wants to "work with both parties to pass a more permanent legislative solution".
Republicans have expressed outrage over President Obama acting unilaterally on immigration reform.
Ahead of Obama's Thursday address, newly-elected Republican Senate Majority leader from Kentucky Mitch McConnell said that the president would face congressional repercussions if he used his executive power on immigration reform.
Earlier on Thursday, Republican Congressman Ted Yoho told Sputnik that a new bill introduced in Congress could prevent Obama's planned executive action on immigration reform.
Meanwhile Obama promised earlier this month that he would do everything legally possible through executive action to improve the US immigration system.
