WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has announced sweeping immigration reforms that will allow almost five million immigrants to legalise their status in the United States.

“Most of these immigrants have been here a long time. They work hard, often in tough, low-paying jobs. They support their families,” said Mr Obama in a primetime speech on Thursday night, broadcast live from the White House.

“Many of their kids are American-born or spent most of their lives here, and their hopes, dreams, and patriotism are just like ours. As my predecessor, President Bush, once put it: ‘They are a part of American life’.”

Thousands of immigrants danced outside the White House as Mr Obama announ­ced the reforms, shouting: “Si se pudo (Yes, we could).”

On Capitol Hill, Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner, a Re­pub­lican, warned the president to be ready for a fight. “We will not stand idle as the president undermines the rule of law in our country and places lives at risk,” he said.

Republican leader asks president to be ready for fight

Republicans dominate both the chambers (the House and the Senate) in the new Congress.

However, such threats failed to cower Mr Obama. “I have the legal authority to take as president — the same kinds of actions taken by Democratic and Republican presidents before me — that will help make our immigration system more fair and more just,” he declared.

Mr Obama said he was taking the executive action after Congress failed to bring to a vote what he described as “a comprehensive fix” of the country’s immigration system.

The plan Mr Obama announced renewed emphasis on the deportation of violent criminals, gang members and suspected terrorists instead of families and a mother ”working hard to feed her kids”.

“Tracking down, rounding up and deporting millions of people isn’t realistic,” he said about his plan.

He also promised that the immigrants who played by the rules could “come out of the shadows” and try to become a part of the mainstream.

“If you’ve been in America for more than five years, if you have children who are American citizens, and you register and pass a criminal background check and pay taxes, you can stay without fear of deportation,” he said.

Mr Obama clarified that his plan did not grant citizenship, and it should not be considered an amnesty. “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,” he said.

Mr Obama said those caught at the border would be sent back but made it clear that he was not going to punish hardworking immigrants already in the country for five years or more just because they did not have the required papers. He urged members of Congress to pass a comprehensive bill to overhaul the immigration system if they did not like his decision to implement the reforms through an executive order.

Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, said that Mr Obama’s action was “not about compassion. It seems to be about what a political party thinks would make for good politics”.

Congressman Steve King, an Iowa Republican, termed Mr Obama’s executive action a “constitutional crisis”.

Published in Dawn, November 22th , 2014