US needs a fair, orderly and lawful immigration system: Obama

Asserting that the US needs an immigration system that is fair, orderly and lawful, President Barack Obama has said his government is taking steps to reach out to people who are eligible to become citizens and attract immigrant entrepreneurs as well as educate STEM students.

"We're taking new steps to reach out to folks who are eligible to become citizens, and attract immigrant entrepreneurs, and educate STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students," Obama said in his address to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Gala last night.

"We're going to help more husbands and wives of American citizens get their green cards without separating them from their families," he said.

Both of these measures are expected to benefit thousands of Indians living in the US and a large number of Indian techies aspiring to make a living in the US.

"The deferred action policies I announced last year will help millions of mothers and fathers remain in the USA with their families -and although it is taking us longer than we hoped, I know we're on the right side of the law and we are going to keep fighting to prove it," Obama said.

Today, more than 680,000 dreamers live and study and work freely and openly in the country they've always called home, he said.

"We've got smarter enforcement priorities, because it makes no sense to focus on separating families when we can be going after felons instead," he added.

Obama said he believed the US needed "an immigration system that is fair and orderly and lawful."

People who come here illegally should have to pay a fine and pay their fair share of taxes, and get registered, and get right with the law and go to the back of the line before they earn citizenship, he said.

Obama, who has been unsuccessful so far in his comprehensive immigration reform, cited the efforts of his predecessor in this regard.

"It wasn't that long ago that my predecessor, George W Bush, a conservative Republican from Texas, with whom I disagreed with on a whole lot of things, made immigration reform one of his core priorities," Obama said.

"We cannot build a unified country by inciting people to anger, or playing on anyone's fears, or exploiting the issue of immigration for political gain. That's what he said," Obama added.