Obama administration to stop deporting some illegal immigrants - WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.

Reaction is divided in Alabama when it comes to the Obama administration's decision to end deportation of many younger illegal immigrants.

Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice member and recent high school graduate Victor Palafox says he is in the country illegally after being brought to the United States from Mexico by his parents as a child. Palafox says the administration's announcement is an "enormous victory" for young people across the country.

The administration says it will stop deporting and begin granting work permits to younger illegal immigrants who arrived in the country children and have led law-abiding lives.

Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions calls the change "backdoor amnesty." He says the administration is purposely ignoring the will of Congress.  "With its announcement today, the Obama administration has openly declared to the American people that it is determined to contravene the immigration laws of the United States, circumventing the will of the people and authority of its representatives in Congress," Sessions said. 

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, who signed into effect the most strict immigration law in the U.S., said, "If the federal government would agree on clear immigration policies that would actually be enforced, we would not be seeing this type of election-year shift in policy.  Alabama's immigration law was enacted because the federal government has not enforced its own existing immigration laws.  We simply believe that those who live and work here should do so legally."

The Southern Poverty Law Center, opposed to Alabama's immigration law, hailed President Obama's announcement, calling it a move in the right direction. "While it is a small step and long overdue, it is an important step," said SPLC legal director Mary Bauer. "We should recognize, however, the great harms that are still happening on the ground for millions of immigrants."

The President, while making his remarks during a Rose Garden news conference, was interrupted with a question. While the President said he wanted to make clear that the policy shift was not amnesty or immunity, nor was it a path to citizenship, someone said "foreigners over American workers."

President Obama admonished the person, saying it was not time for questions, to which the person responded, "No, you have to take questions." The President responded, "Not while I'm speaking." The President later came back and attempted to answer the question, saying "It is the right thing to do for the American people."

The President called the policy "a temporary stopgap" and urged Congress to pass the DREAM Act before year's end.

The President concluded his remarks and did not answer the final question, "What about American workers who are unemployed while you import foreigners?"

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