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| President Barack Obama |
President
Barack Obama working to ease enforcement of immigration laws Friday, offering a
chance for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to stay in the country
and work. Immediately embraced by Hispanics, the step touched off an
election-year battle with congressional Republicans on Capitol Hill.
"Let's
be clear, this is not amnesty, this is not immunity, this is not a path to
citizenship, this is not a permanent fix," he said. "This is the
right thing to do."
The
policy change will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants. It bypasses Congress
and partially achieves the goals of the DREAM Act, which would establish a path
toward citizenship for young people who illegally came to the U.S. but are in
college or the military.
Under
the administration plan, illegal immigrants will be immune from deportation if
they were brought to the U.S. before they turned 16 and are younger than 30;
have been in the country for at least five continuous years; have no criminal
history; graduated from a U.S. high school or earned a GED or served in the
military. They also can apply for a work permit that will be good for two years
with no limits on how many times it can be renewed.
