President Obama’s executive order granting temporary reprieve from deportation to millions of undocumented immigrants will reopen the immigration debate

On Thursday night, in an address to the nation, President Obama announced that his administration would use its ‘prosecutorial discretion’ to grant a reprieve from deportation to undocumented immigrants who have been in the country for at least 5 years, have children who are citizens or permanent residents, and are willing to pay taxes. Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes writes that this action is similar to 2012’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals memorandum in that it does not prevent the recently arrived from being deported, provide a path to citizenship or allow undocumented immigrants access to benefits. She writes that the measure will help undocumented immigrants by allowing many families to live in peace and without the constant fear of deportation, which may in turn allow them to contribute to the social and economic fabric of the U.S.