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Local leaders react to Obama's immigration plan

Elected leaders representing the suburbs and state reacted along party lines to President Obama's speech Thursday that spares roughly 5 million people in the United States illegally from deportation.

Congressional Democrats hailed the president's directive as a way of addressing immigrants who have abided by the law since their arrival, but Republicans said Obama is overstepping his authority.

Obama's executive order protects those who have been in the country illegally for more than five years and have children who are U.S. citizens. The plan also expands rights to younger immigrants who entered the country illegally and lifts an age restriction on a previous immigration directive Obama issued in 2012. While Obama's plan doesn't offer any protections to roughly half the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants, the president's plan focuses immigration enforcement resources on criminals and those who've recently crossed the border, according to reports.

Here's what the leaders had to say:

Sen. Dick Durbin: "This president is going to use his executive authority to try and solve a problem the House Republicans refused to even address. It's the right move for America. It's a first step and we still have our responsibility to do something in Congress. But until we do, the president is doing the right thing for America."

Sen. Mark Kirk: "By driving over Congress and handling this issue the partisan way, the president has dimmed his ability of getting the votes he wanted for a bipartisan solution that includes border security and would allow the whole country to meet this challenge together."

Rep. Jan Schakowsky: "This is not comprehensive immigration reform, but this is a huge relief to literally millions of families who live in fear right now of being separated by deportation. As someone who represents a very diverse district, I can tell you this is being greeted by the immigrant community as a huge welcome. There are a lot of pieces here that should make people on all sides, I think, happy. All this hooting and howling about legality is a distraction and we've been assured (it) is legally bulletproof."

Rep. Peter Roskam and Rep. Randy Hultgren (joint statement): "President Obama's plan to ignore the Constitution and circumvent Congress is a lawless move that will ultimately do much more harm than good. We believe Congress should take the lead on immigration reform, securing our borders, improving the visa system and addressing the many layers of our broken system. This temporary measure will only spark chaos and create major problems both now and in the future. In fact, President Obama himself has said many times that an executive action of this magnitude would be unlawful. By blatantly bypassing Congress to execute this illegal executive order, the president is neglecting the interest of the American people, diminishing our national security, undermining the rule of law, and setting back efforts to permanently and meaningfully fix what's broken in the immigration system."

Rep. Tammy Duckworth: "Given the inaction of Congress, I support the president moving forward with executive actions that will improve security at the border while prioritizing deporting felons, not families. It is now time for Congress to work together to enact comprehensive immigration reform that will improve our immigration system for the long term."

Rep. Mike Quigley: "I applaud President Obama for using his legal authority to improve our broken immigration system and prevent the unnecessary deportation of millions of members of our community. The president's executive actions will prioritize our resources to remove those who pose a public safety threat instead of continuing our current ineffective, arbitrary and inhumane deportation policy, needlessly separating families in contradiction to our country's founding principles of fairness and justice. Every president since President Eisenhower has lawfully used executive authority to address immigration issues."

Rep. Bill Foster: "We have ignored our broken immigration system for too long, and I am pleased that the president is taking action to improve our immigration system and provide temporary relief for some families. These actions which are long overdue, will prevent millions of families from being torn apart, provide visas for highly-skilled workers, and give many immigrants relief from the fear of deportation. Every day that leaders in Congress block comprehensive immigration reform, it costs taxpayers $37 million in lost revenue. The president's decision to issue work permits, so that immigrants with strong ties to America, who pass criminal background checks, can work legally and pay their taxes is a common sense solution that will benefit our economy."

Rep. Brad Schneider: "The magnitude and significance of the challenges posed by our broken immigration system demand a comprehensive, long-term solution that only congressional action can fully provide, but House Republican's absolute unwillingness to act necessitated the president's decision. The president's executive action will expand opportunities for immigrants seeking lawful employment in the United States, providing much-needed relief for up to 5 million people currently living in the shadows."

Cook County board President Toni Preckwinkle: "I commend President Obama for recognizing the importance of immigration reform on millions of lives and using his executive authority to begin moving forward on this issue. Over time, our nation has made tremendous progress in confronting inequality based on gender, race or sexual orientation. The last frontier is how we treat the undocumented."

Dick Durbin
Mark Kirk
Jan Schakowsky
Peter Roskam
Randy Hultgren
Tammy Duckworth
Mike Quigley
Bill Foster
Brad Schneider
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