I'd like to talk with you about immigration.

For more than 200 years, our tradition of welcoming

immigrants from around the world has given

us a tremendous advantage over other nations.

It's kept us youthful, dynamic, and entrepreneurial.

It has shaped our character as a people with limitless

possibilities -- people not trapped by our past,

but able to remake ourselves as we choose.

But today, our immigration system is broken --

and everybody knows it.

Families who enter our country the right way

and play by the rules watch others flout the rules.

Business owners who offer their workers good wages

and benefits see the competition exploit

undocumented immigrants by paying them far less.

All of us take offense to anyone who reaps

the rewards of living in America without taking

on the responsibilities of living in America.

And undocumented immigrants who desperately

want to embrace those responsibilities see

little option but to remain in the shadows,

or risk their families being torn apart.

It's been this way for decades.

And for decades, we haven't done much about it.

When I took office, I committed to fixing

this broken immigration system.

And I began by doing what I could to secure our borders.

Today, we have more agents and technology deployed

to secure our southern border than at any time

in our history.

And over the past six years, illegal border crossings

have been cut by more than half.

Although this summer, there was a brief spike

in unaccompanied children being apprehended at our

border, the number of such children is now actually

lower than it's been in nearly two years.

Overall, the number of people trying to cross our border

illegally is at its lowest level since the 1970s.

Those are the facts.

Meanwhile, I worked with Congress on a comprehensive

fix, and last year, 68 Democrats, Republicans,

and independents came together to pass

a bipartisan bill in the Senate.

It wasn't perfect.

It was a compromise.

But it reflected common sense.

It would have doubled the number

of border patrol agents while giving

undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship

if they paid a fine, started paying their taxes,

and went to the back of the line.

And independent experts said that it would

help grow our economy and shrink our deficits.

Had the House of Representatives allowed

that kind of bill a simple yes-or-no vote, it would

have passed with support from both parties,

and today it would be the law.

But for a year and a half now, Republican leaders

in the House have refused to allow that simple vote.

Now, I continue to believe that the best way to solve

this problem is by working together to pass that

kind of common sense law.

But until that happens, there are actions I have

the legal authority to take as President --

the same kinds of actions taken by Democratic

and Republican presidents before me --

that will help make our immigration system

more fair and more just.

Tonight, I am announcing those actions.

First, we'll build on our progress at the border with

additional resources for our law enforcement personnel

so that they can stem the flow of illegal crossings,

and speed the return of those who do cross over.

Second, I'll make it easier and faster for high-skilled

immigrants, graduates, and entrepreneurs to stay

and contribute to our economy, as so many

business leaders have proposed.

Third, we'll take steps to deal responsibly with

the millions of undocumented immigrants who already

live in our country.

I want to say more about this third issue,

because it generates the most passion and controversy.

Even as we are a nation of immigrants,

we're also a nation of laws.

Undocumented workers broke our immigration laws,

and I believe that they must be held accountable --

especially those who may be dangerous.

That's why, over the past six years,

deportations of criminals are up 80 percent.

And that's why we're going to keep focusing

enforcement resources on actual threats

to our security.

Felons, not families.

Criminals, not children.

Gang members, not a mom who's working hard to provide

for her kids.

We'll prioritize, just like law enforcement

does every day.

But even as we focus on deporting criminals,

the fact is, millions of immigrants in every state,

of every race and nationality still live here illegally.

And let's be honest -- tracking down, rounding up,

and deporting millions of people isn't realistic.

Anyone who suggests otherwise isn't being

straight with you.

It's also not who we are as Americans.

After all, most of these immigrants have been

here a long time.

They work hard, often in tough, low-paying jobs.

They support their families.

They worship at our churches.

Many of their kids are American-born or spent most

of their lives here, and their hopes, dreams,

and patriotism are just like ours.

As my predecessor, President Bush,

once put it: "They are a part of American life."

Now here's the thing: We expect people who live

in this country to play by the rules.

We expect that those who cut the line will not

be unfairly rewarded.

So we're going to offer the following deal: If you've

been in America for more than five years;

if you have children who are American citizens

or legal residents; if you register, pass

a criminal background check, and you're willing

to pay your fair share of taxes --

you'll be able to apply to stay in this

country temporarily without fear of deportation.

You can come out of the shadows and get right

with the law.

That's what this deal is.

Now, let's be clear about what it isn't.

This deal does not apply to anyone who has come to this

country recently.

It does not apply to anyone who might come

to America illegally in the future.

It does not grant citizenship, or the right

to stay here permanently, or offer the same

benefits that citizens receive -- only Congress

can do that.

All we're saying is we're not going to deport you.

I know some of the critics of this action

call it amnesty.

Well, it's not.

Amnesty is the immigration system we have today --

millions of people who live here without paying

their taxes or playing by the rules while

politicians use the issue to scare people

and whip up votes at election time.

That's the real amnesty -- leaving

this broken system the way it is.

Mass amnesty would be unfair.

Mass deportation would be both impossible

and contrary to our character.

What I'm describing is accountability -- a

common-sense, middle-ground approach:

If you meet the criteria, you can come out

of the shadows and get right with the law.

If you're a criminal, you'll be deported.

If you plan to enter the U.S. illegally,

your chances of getting caught and sent back

just went up.

The actions I'm taking are not only lawful,

they're the kinds of actions taken by every single

Republican President and every single Democratic President

for the past half century.

And to those members of Congress who question my authority

to make our immigration system work better,

or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress

has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill.

I want to work with both parties to pass

a more permanent legislative solution.

And the day I sign that bill into law,

the actions I take will no longer be necessary.

Meanwhile, don't let a disagreement over

a single issue be a dealbreaker on every issue.

That's not how our democracy works,

and Congress certainly shouldn't shut down our

government again just because we disagree on this.

Americans are tired of gridlock.

What our country needs from us right now

is a common purpose -- a higher purpose.

Most Americans support the types of reforms

I've talked about tonight.

But I understand the disagreements held

by many of you at home.

Millions of us, myself included, go back generations

in this country, with ancestors who put in the painstaking

work to become citizens.

So we don't like the notion that anyone might

get a free pass to American citizenship.

I know some worry immigration will change the very fabric

of who we are, or take our jobs, or stick it to middle-class

families at a time when they already feel like

they've gotten the raw deal for over a decade.

I hear these concerns.

But that's not what these steps would do.

Our history and the facts show that immigrants

are a net plus for our economy and our society.

And I believe it's important that all of us have this

debate without impugning each other's character.

Because for all the back and forth of Washington,

we have to remember that this debate

is about something bigger.

It's about who we are as a country,

and who we want to be for future generations.

Are we a nation that tolerates the hypocrisy of a system

where workers who pick our fruit and make our beds

never have a chance to get right with the law?

Or are we a nation that gives them a chance to make amends,

take responsibility, and give their kids

a better future?

Are we a nation that accepts the cruelty

of ripping children from their parents' arms?

Or are we a nation that values families,

and works together to keep them together?

Are we a nation that educates the world's best

and brightest in our universities, only to send

them home to create businesses in countries

that compete against us?

Or are we a nation that encourages them to stay

and create jobs here, create businesses here,

create industries right here in America?

That's what this debate is all about.

We need more than politics as usual when

it comes to immigration.

We need reasoned, thoughtful, compassionate debate

that focuses on our hopes, not our fears.

I know the politics of this issue are tough.

But let me tell you why I have come to feel

so strongly about it.

Over the past few years, I have seen the determination

of immigrant fathers who worked two or three jobs

without taking a

dime from the government, and at risk any moment of losing

it all, just to build a better life for their kids.

I've seen the heartbreak and anxiety of children whose

mothers might be taken away from them just

because they didn't have the right papers.

I've seen the courage of students who,

except for the circumstances of their birth, are

as American as Malia or Sasha; students who

bravely come out as undocumented in hopes

they could make a difference in the country they love.

These people -- our neighbors, our classmates,

our friends -- they did not come here

in search of a free ride or an easy life.

They came to work, and study, and serve in our military,

and above all, contribute to America's success.