June 16, 2012 12:30 AM UTC

Obama Outlines New Policy on Young Illegal Immigrants

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• by: Colorado Pols

From CNN:

In a Rose Garden address Friday afternoon, President Barack Obama said the changes caused by his executive order will make immigration policy “more fair, more efficient and more just.”

“This is not amnesty. This is not immunity. This is not a path to citizenship. It’s not a permanent fix,” Obama said to take on conservative criticism of the step. “This is a temporary stopgap measure.”…

…Under the new policy, people younger than 30 who came to the United States before the age of 16, pose no criminal or security threat, and were successful students or served in the military can get a two-year deferral from deportation, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said.

It also will allow those meeting the requirements to apply for work permits, Napolitano said, adding that participants must be in the United States now and be able to prove they have been living in the country continuously for at least five years.

Many Republicans are obviously upset with the new rules from Obama, but from a political perspective, the President probably gains more than he loses. People who are furious about this weren’t likely to be Obama voters anyway, while this move may solidify a strong turnout from Hispanic voters in Obama’s favor.