MOSCOW, November 22 (Sputnik) — US President Barack Obama responded on Saturday to the criticism of his immigration plan in a weekly address to the nation.
"As you might have heard, there are Members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better. Well, I have one answer for that: Pass a bill. The day I sign it into law, the actions I've taken to help solve this problem will no longer be necessary," Obama said, stressing that he would not allow "disagreement over a single issue to be a dealbreaker on every issue."
"We are a nation of immigrants. It has always given America a big advantage over other nations. It keeps our country young, dynamic, and entrepreneurial. But today, our immigration system is broken, and everybody knows it," Obama added.
The US president also spoke about the steps he took this week to fix the country's immigration system.
"We're providing more resources at the border to help law enforcement personnel stop illegal crossings, and send home those who do cross over. We'll focus enforcement resources on people who are threats to our security — felons, not families; criminals, not children. And we'll bring more undocumented immigrants out of the shadows so they can play by the rules, pay their full share of taxes, pass a criminal background check, and get right with the law," Obama stated.
On Wednesday, Obama said he would outline a plan, using executive action, to repair a "broken" US immigration system.
Earlier this month, the US president said he would make use of executive action to improve the country's immigration system. Republicans expressed their outrage over Obama's plans to do so for the sake of comprehensive immigration reforms and even threatened to oppose his order.
Obama's plan was announced Thursday. The plan aims to allow up to five million illegal immigrants in the United States to register and avoid deportation. The measure would also enable illegal immigrants who have been in the US for more than five years and parents of children who are US citizens or legal residents to apply to stay in the United States temporarily.
