Credit: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) addresses reporters after a leadership election for the 114th Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington November 13, 2014.
For many months, Obama has warned Republicans in Congress that if they continue to block comprehensive immigration legislation, he would act unilaterally where he can.
An announcement could be imminent, as Obama has promised to make the move before year's end. Republican leaders have vowed to undo or weaken any actions Obama takes.
The Senate in June 2013 passed a sweeping, bipartisan immigration bill, but the House of Representatives has refused to consider it.
'Because House Republicans have not acted, we fully support your decision to use your well-established executive authority to improve as much of the immigration system as you can,' wrote Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and five other senior Democratic senators in a letter to Obama.
The senators urged Obama to expand a program he created in 2012 deferring deportations of certain undocumented residents who were brought to the United States illegally by their parents or other relatives when they were children.
The Democrats said they hoped Obama would include parents of the 600,000 or so people who have been approved under the two-year-old program, if they have not committed serious crimes. They also said that they wanted Obama to provide help to certain illegal immigrants who are parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents and 'workers who play a vital role in our economy and heritage.'
Other actions Reid, Senators Dick Durbin, Charles Schumer, Patty Murray, Robert Menendez and Michael Bennet called for included revisions of civil immigration enforcement priorities and changing the 'Secure Communities' law enforcement program to aim it at illegal immigrants who are convicted of serious offenses.
'Lastly, we hope that you will improve the legal immigration system to keep immigrant families together, protect workers, and allow employers to sponsor more talented immigrants for U.S. citizenship,' the senators wrote.
(Reporting By Richard Cowan; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
Entities 0 Name: Obama Count: 7 1 Name: Congress Count: 2 2 Name: Senate Count: 2 3 Name: U.S. Count: 2 4 Name: Harry Reid Count: 2 5 Name: Steve Orlofsky Count: 1 6 Name: Robert Menendez Count: 1 7 Name: Reuters\/Jonathan Ernst U.S. Senate Count: 1 8 Name: Richard Cowan Count: 1 9 Name: Charles Schumer Count: 1 10 Name: Washington Count: 1 11 Name: Capitol Hill Count: 1 12 Name: Dick Durbin Count: 1 13 Name: Reid Count: 1 14 Name: House of Representatives Count: 1 15 Name: Patty Murray Count: 1 16 Name: Democratic Count: 1 17 Name: United States Count: 1 18 Name: Michael Bennet Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1ENnPN5 Title: Returning Home, Obama to Face Political Fight Over Immigration Description: U.S. President Barack Obama is heading back to Washington where a contentious political fight with opposition lawmakers is brewing over his plan to unilaterally overhaul the country's immigration policies. White House aides say Obama, returning Sunday from a trip to Asia and meetings with world leaders, could act in the coming days to shield from deportation about five million migrants who are living illegally in the United States.
