Nearly two years after he made his speech at a high school in Las Vegas on Jan. 29, 2013, Obama returned to make an announcement about his new immigration policy reform on Nov. 21, 2014. Acknowledging the fact that the US immigration system is broken and ineffective, Obama proposed that the government vastly decrease the number of deportations of illegal immigrants. Despite criticism from the opposite party, Obama made a moral and reasonable decision in aiming to correct the flaws of the current immigration policy.

The president declared that he would take action to protect immigrants who moved in as children or parents of US citizens, or those who are closely related to immigrants with US citizenship.

Many of Obama’s critics have overlooked the moral reasoning behind this reform. In the US, thousands of children are separated from their parents because of deportations. These families have to live everyday in fear of being separated; therefore, Obama has rightfully used his executive authority to protect these families.

Since all Americans were initially immigrants who hoped to achieve the “American Dream” and the nation was founded on the principle of becoming a safe haven, it is hypocritical for the US to reject the people in need, such as the LGBT community, the impoverished, the disabled and people fleeing from war-torn nations especially in Central and South America. With President Obama’s new immigration policy, these immigrants are given the necessary opportunities to move up the economic ladder. Instead of trapping these immigrants in further hapless situations, the US government should fulfill their moral duties and try to uplift the less fortunate.

Along with the president’s reasons related to morality, the new immigration plan also creates a larger labor force hopefully benefit the slow American economy. According to the Washington Post, 77 percent of all agricultural workers on American farms are foreign-born, half of these immigrants being undocumented workers. Working in labor-intensive industries that American-born citizens stray away from, these immigrants guarantee a promising future for the industries that will continue to grow and possibly bolster the economy.

Granted, to American-born citizens who have had their jobs stolen by immigrants, it may seem like President Obama’s is abusing his executive power. However, the president’s actions are necessary and understandable. It is important to remember that immigrants are a large, essential part of the American labor force that cannot be ignored. More importantly, while making these political decisions, we must keep in mind our moral principles based on what America’s Founding Fathers had hoped to create.