Obama to spare 5M from deportation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Brushing aside Republican outrage, President Barack Obama is ordering far-reaching changes to the nation's immigration laws that will allow nearly 5 million people now here illegally to avoid deportation. The administration is also setting new enforcement priorities that could make it easier for many more to stay.

The executive actions, affecting many parents and young people, mark the most sweeping changes to the nation's fractured immigration laws in nearly three decades. Republicans are expected to quickly mount legal and legislative challenges, setting the stage for a bitterly partisan fight consuming the final two years of Obama's presidency.

"The president will come to regret the chapter history writes if he does move forward," declared Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican who is soon to become the Senate majority leader.

Obama's actions and the fierce GOP response largely stamp out any prospects for Congress passing comprehensive immigration legislation under the current administration, ensuring that the contentious debate will carry on into the 2016 presidential campaign.