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March 28, 2024

After the speech: What politicians, activists had to say about Obama’s Las Vegas appearance

President Obama Speaks At Del Sol

Steve Marcus

President Obama speaks on immigration at Del Sol High School Friday, Nov. 21, 2014.

President Obama Speaks at Del Sol

Michael Nowakowski, a Phoenix city councilman, center, and Eric Chavez, right, community director of the Chavez Institute for Law and Social Justice, react to President Obama's speech at Del Sol High School Friday, Nov. 21, 2014. Launch slideshow »

President Barack Obama came to Las Vegas on Friday to convince Americans that his decision to defer deportations for about 5 million immigrants in the country illegally is the right thing to do.

He gave an impassioned speech at Del Sol High School, a place he visited in January 2013 to lay out his initial hopes for immigration reform that have yet to pass Congress.

So, how did he do? Here's a round up of reaction and analysis from both sides of the political spectrum, plus a deeper look at who exactly is affected by all this.

Nevada's Democratic lawmakers are all on board.

They flew on Air Force One with the president. They stood off to stage right as the president made his speech. They were some of the first people to hug him afterward. Nevada's Democratic leaders could not have been more proud of the president and more supportive of his policies.

Nevada's Republican leaders, meanwhile, stayed as far away from Del Sol High School as possible. Rep. Joe Heck, whose district encompasses the high school, took a photo with staff for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.

Nevada's labor unions are on board, too

Culinary Union, one of the largest and most diverse labor unions in Nevada, made their presence known at Del Sol with red shirts that said "Unite Here" and loud chants of "Si, se puede!"

Immediately following the speech, Nevada's AFL-CIO group sent out a press release praising it.

"Thousands of families in Nevada have been waiting for relief, and this step was long overdue," said Danny L. Thompson, an executive with the prominent left-leaning union, in a statement.

ProgressNow, a Nevada nonprofit, said in a statement this was a "bittersweet moment."

"We celebrate with the families for which protection has been expanded, but we feel for the families who were not included," said director Annette Magnus. "This bittersweet feeling highlights the need for a permanent solution."

Relief for millions of Americans

ABC captures the emotion of Obama's announcement for the roughly 5 million immigrants in the country illegally, and their families, who will be affected by his new policies. Here's reaction across the country in photos.

And anger from others

But not every undocumented immigrant will see the threat of deportation lifted through Obama's actions. Vox breaks down who will still be deported under the new enforcement of the law. One man apparently not covered by the changes even heckled Obama during the speech. Conservative publication National Review has the story.

At least six Senate Democrats and one Independent don't support Obama's unilateral action. Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri called on Congress to act, saying: "Executive orders aren't the way to do it."

The Associated Press looks at congressional Republicans' options for a response to derail the president's changes. There aren't many.

You decide

The Christian Science Monitor has an in-depth Q&A on whether the president's actions are really legal.

And Associated Press fact-checks Obama's claim that what he's doing is the same as many other presidents before him. AP points out Obama is leaving out significant pieces of today's landscape, such as the fact he doesn't have political support to take action.

On the other side, Time Magazine spoke with legal experts who say Obama's actions probably won't lead to an increase in illegal immigration, a common argument among House Republicans.

And the Associated Press gets us behind the scenes for the past nine months in the White House that led up to today's big speech in Las Vegas.