Obama's big immigration executive order could be as soon as next week

President Obama's promised to make big executive changes to immigration policy by the end of 2014. New reports indicate that the president might not even wait until Thanksgiving.

A new report from the New York Times cites administration officials saying that an announcement could come "as soon as next week."

However, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has asked the White House to hold off until Congress has passed a temporary government-funding bill, which will happen sometime before December 11th.

The president's expected to announce a set of several policy changes, including changes to the controversial Secure Communities program (which makes it easier for immigration agents to pick up unauthorized immigrants from local jails) and high-skilled legal immigration. But the centerpiece of the agenda — and its most controversial aspect — is a plan to expand protection from deportation to millions of unauthorized immigrants, and allow them to apply for work permits.

According to the Times report, the administration is still working out some details — for example, whether to limit deportation protection to immigrants who've lived here for the last decade, or to allow more recent arrivals to apply for protection as well.

But the report makes it clearer than ever that, despite the Republican victory in the midterm elections and skepticism from certain pundits, President Obama is going to take executive action on immigration.

Read Vox's analysis of what Obama's immigration plan is likely to include here.

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