By Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton
WASHINGTON Fri Nov 21, 2014 11:35am EST
1 of 7. U.S. President Barack Obama announces executive actions on U.S. immigration policy during a nationally televised address from the White House in Washington, November 20, 2014.
Credit: Reuters/Jim Bourg
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama imposed the most sweeping immigration reform in a generation on Thursday, easing the threat of deportation for some 4.7 million undocumented immigrants and setting up a clash with Republicans who vow to fight his moves.
In a White House speech, Obama rejected Republican arguments that his decision to bypass Congress and take executive action was tantamount to amnesty for illegal immigrants.
It was his biggest use of executive actions in a year in which they have become his signature way of working around congressional gridlock.
"Amnesty is the immigration system we have today, millions of people who live here without paying their taxes or playing by the rules," he said.
Republicans pounced quickly, charging Obama had overstepped his constitutional powers a year after declaring he did not have the authority to act on his own.
In a video released before Obama's televised speech, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said: The president has said before that hes not king and hes not an emperor, but he sure is acting like one."
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Obama unveils U.S. immigration reform, setting up fight ...