NEW YORK, November 21 (Sputnik) – The US immigration system remains riddled with “deep problems” despite US President Barack Obama’s deportation relief for some undocumented foreigners, Edward Alden, an analyst at a New York-based think tank, told reporters.
“While there’s no question this is an expansive action – one that will affect, in a positive way, the lives of many unauthorized immigrants, it really does not ‘fix’ our broken immigration system. The problems remain as deep as they did before the president announced his actions,” Alden, an immigration expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, said in a media telephone briefing on Friday.
Alden underscored that genuine reform in immigration policy still largely depended on action by the US Congress.
On Thursday, President Obama announced plans for an executive order that would help grant legal status to as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants living in the US and secure the country's border.
During his speech, Obama said he needed to use executive powers on immigration because Congress has failed to act.
“'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 during a prime-time address.
Leading Republicans have criticized Obama’s executive plan on immigration reform. But despite their outrage, the president says he remains willing to work with Congress to pass bipartisan legislation on immigration reform.
