Obama To Announce Plans For Executive Action On Immigration: Report

U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to announce a 10-part immigration plan as soon as next week, Fox News reported Wednesday. The plan, contained in a draft proposal, covers 10 immigration initiatives including boosting border security, improving pay for immigration officers and taking unilateral action to defer deportation for an estimated 4.5 million illegal immigrants, a White House source exclusively told Fox News.

In September, Obama announced he would delay any plans for executive action until after the elections. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Obama’s plan would “happen before the end of the year.” Fox News reported this plan could be announced as soon as Nov. 21.

Using executive action to suspend deportation for millions of undocumented immigrants and their U.S.-born children is an initiative that has kept congressional Republicans on their toes since the midterm elections. Immigration reform activists and congressional Democrats have been calling on Obama for immediate action. “I join with my colleagues in urging the president to take action. What he needs to do is give immediate relief to families who are being wrenched apart and living in fear,” said House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, according to Fox News.

Meanwhile, Republicans have remained critical of the so-called “amnesty,” according to Fox News. Arizona Sen. John McCain, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio have stressed that executive action on immigration would compromise broader, comprehensive reform measures in the legislature, according to Politico. “In this regard, acting by executive order on an issue of this magnitude would be the most divisive action you could take -- completely undermining any good-faith effort to meaningfully address this important issue, which would be a disservice to the needs of the American people,” the three GOP senators wrote in a letter to the White House last month.