President Obama is poised to issue a sweeping executive order on immigration. Addressing the nation from the White House, the President said the U.S. immigration system is broken and must be repaired.

The executive order marks the most dramatic shift in U.S. immigration policy in decades. He said it will help make the immigration system more fair and more just. Obama noted that the executive action will focus on deporting felons, not families.

The order aims to boost border security while shielding up to five million illegal immigrants from deportation.

The President said the executive order will boost criminal background checks and tax enforcement. He insisted that his action is not amnesty. Obama said the real amnesty is leaving a broken system the way it is.

Obama criticized the U.S. House for not considering a bipartisan Senate bill that was passed a year-and-a-half ago. He challenged congressional critics to pass a bill addressing the immigration issue. Meantime, Obama argued that it is unrealistic to consider rounding up and deporting millions of illegal immigrants.

Republicans are angry about the executive actions President Barack Obama is taking to remove the specter of deportation from nearly 5 million people living in the U.S. illegally. GOP lawmakers say Obama's actions will not only hurt chances of passing an immigration overhaul but also damage his relations with the incoming Republican-controlled Congress.

(Metro Networks Inc)

More From WBSM-AM/AM 1420