(미국) 거센 반발 받은 오바마의 이민법 정비

출처: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30136245

21 November 2014 Last updated at 12:41

Barack Obama enforces US immigration overhaul 오바마曰 美이민법 정비 시행한다

Undocumented immigrants and supporters watch Obama speak on immigration in Philadelphia

Millions of immigrants living illegally in the US will be allowed to apply for work permits under a major shake-up unveiled by President Barack Obama.

They include immigrants living in the US for five years who have children staying legally in the US.

Up to five million are expected to benefit from a reform package forced through using executive orders, which allow Mr Obama to bypass Congress.

Republicans have accused the president of an "illegal power-grab".

There are estimated to be 11 million illegal immigrants in the US.

Barack Obama: "Our immigration system is broken and everybody knows it"

Under Mr Obama's plan, undocumented parents of children who are US citizens or legal residents will be able to apply for work permits lasting three years.

Only parents who have lived in the US for five years will qualify - an estimated four million people.

Some 3.7 million people are thought to be eligible for this scheme,according to the Migration Policy Institute.

Another part of the package will extend a programme that gives temporary legal status to people who arrived in the US as children.

Currently only those under the age of 30 who arrived before 2007 can apply for the programme, which was launched in 2012 and already covers roughly 1.2 million people.

Mr Obama has abolished the age limit and extended the cut-off point to 2010, potentially extending the programme to a further 300,000 people.

Analysis: Jon Sopel, BBC North America Editor

How has the immigration debate in the United States become so polarised, so toxic, so unpleasant?

That it has cannot be doubted. Barack Obama says he has grown so weary of trying to get Congress to engage seriously that he is going it alone.

He's bypassing the legislature and brandishing his big stick - the executive order. It is governance by diktat. And the reaction of his opponents suggests it will spark an atmosphere of retaliation and revenge.

How did immigration debate get so toxic?

The order will primarily affect immigrants with children who are US citizens, like Alejandra Mota (centre) and her son

Mr Obama said in a televised address that his measures would allow illegal immigrants to "come out of the shadows and get right with the law".

He insisted that his proposals, which are the biggest immigration reforms since the mid-1980s, did not amount to an amnesty.

"What I'm describing is accountability - a common-sense, middle ground approach," he said. 의무, 즉 상식과 절충(타협)적 접근

Although the plan will allow millions to work, it will not offer a path to citizenship or entitle them to the same benefits as Americans, he said.

''I think it needs to go through Congress,'' one voter told the BBC 이런 거는 의회를 거쳐야 한다고 생각합니다 라고 한 유권자는 비비시에 말했다.

"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.

Republicans reacted with fury, Arizona Republican Senator John McCain calling it an "illegal power-grab" that "fails to address the root causes of the dysfunction in our immigration system".

And Texas Governor Rick Perry argued the move would "lead to more illegal immigration, not less".

Republicans reacted with fury, with Arizona Republican Senator John McCain calling it an "illegal power-grab" that "fails to address the root causes of the dysfunction in our immigration system".

And Texas Governor Rick Perry argued the move would "lead to more illegal immigration, not less".

An Obama aide rebuffed the criticism that Mr Obama had overstepped his authority, saying the president had taken advice from the secretary of homeland security and the attorney general about the action.

"It's entirely consistent with the way previous presidents have exercised their executive authority," the aide said.

US illegal immigrants' country of origin (2012)

• Mexico - 59%
• El Salvador - 6%
• Guatemala - 5%
• Honduras - 3%
• Philippines - 3%

Source: Department of Homeland Security

Mr Obama's plan does not go as far as a bill that would have provided a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants.

Astrid Silva: "Our system has been broken for so long that people like my dad are locked out of it"

The bill was passed by the Democrat-led Senate, but the Republican-controlled House of Representatives refused to debate the proposal.

On Thursday, Mr Obama said those who questioned his authority to use executive orders should simply pass the bill.

Campaigners for migrants' rights broadly welcomed Mr Obama's plans.

But some activists worried that the promise of a three-year work visa would not be enough for many people to come out into the open.

"It's a step in the right direction, but it's going to fall far short of the mark," veteran advocate Cheryl Little told Reuters news agency.

She said the reforms amounted to "simply a temporary reprieve from deportation."

What is an executive order? 행정명령은 뭔가?

• • Directive issued by the president to federal employees usually concerning the implementation of laws
  • Power not explicitly outlined in the constitution, but exercised by most presidents
  • Orders generally cannot force through major policy initiatives, which usually require an Act of Congress
  • Courts can strike down an order if it is deemed incompatible with other laws or the constitution
  • Up to October, President Obama had issued 193 orders in almost six years, a lower rate than most of his recent predecessors