459319566-1024x877

WATCH: President Obama announces executive order on immigration affecting over 4 million undocumented Americans

Last night, President Obama issued the broadest-reaching action on immigration in 30 years. He announced an executive order that offers temporary legal status for over 4 million undocumented people living in the United States. This action (mostly) relieves them of the threat of deportation, though it only applies to a select group of people who have been living in the U.S. for at least five years.

DREAMers, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and their parents are disappointed that their families were not included in this action or mentioned in President Obama’s speech. A total of about 6 million other undocumented Americans are still at risk for deportation, a fact that has not gone unnoticed, leaving many activists feeling that President Obama’s sweeping action is not far-reaching enough.

In his speech, President Obama noted that this is only the first step in comprehensive immigration reform. Check out these pieces on how this action effects undocumented LGBTQ people and young people.

Republican opposition to President Obama’s executive action question the legality of this action, insisting that the President sidestepped Congress, who should implement such actions. The Department of Justice confirms that the President’s decision is legal.

Feministing's resident "sexpert", Sesali is a published writer and professional shit talker. She is a queer Black girl, fat girl, and trainer. She was the former Training Director at the United States Student Association and later a member of the Youth Organizing team at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She received her bachelors in Women's and Gender Studies from Depaul University in 2012 and is currently pursuing a master's in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta. A self identified "trap" feminist, and trained with a reproductive justice background, her interests include the intersections of feminism and: pop culture, youth culture, social media, hip hop, girlhood, sexuality, race, gender, and Beyonce. Sesali joined the team in 2010 as one of the winners of our So You Think You Can Blog contest.

is Feministing's resident sexpert and cynic.

Read more about Sesali

Join the Conversation