President Obama’s Immigration Accountability Executive Actions, signed this week, are key steps to fixing the current immigration system, according to the White House. These actions, according to the White House, will crack down on illegal immigration at the border, prioritize deporting felons not families, and require certain undocumented immigrants to pass a criminal background check and pay their fair share of taxes as they register to temporarily remain in the U.S. without having to fear deportation.
Under President Obama’s plan, undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States for five years or more, have children who are citizens or legal residents, formally register, pass a background criminal check and are willing to pay their ‘fair share’ of taxes will be allowed to stay in the country without having to fear deportation.
“Even as we focus on deporting criminals, the fact is, millions of immigrants…still live here illegally,” Obama said. “And let’s be honest—tracking down, rounding up, and deporting millions of people isn’t realistic. Anyone who suggests otherwise isn’t being straight with you.”
