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At the White House on Tuesday, Mexicanpresident Enrique Pea Nieto praised USPresident Barack Obama'scontroversial executive actionto temporarily defer deportation of nearly 5 million immigrants living in the United States as an "act of justice."

The series of executive actions, which the president announced in November, provides a legal reprieve to parents of US citizens and permanent residents who have lived in the country for at least five years. It also allows immigrants who arrived as children to apply for deportation postponement. About two-thirds of the plan's potential beneficiaries are from Mexico. Obama hosted Pea Nieto at the White House in a bid to strengthen relations with the Latin American nation.

The Mexican leader's statement adds another talking point to the debate on US immigration, an issue that grows more divisive even as it becomes relevant to a growing sector of the American public. According to the Migration Policy Institute, the US foreign-born population hit a historic high of41 million in 2012. And while 28 percent about 11 million of those were Mexican natives, the demographics have grown increasingly diverse: The number of migrants from China, India, and the Philippines each hovered close to 2 million, while those from Vietnam, Cuba, and South Korea tallied around 1 million apiece.

These immigrants have settledacross the United States, with the majority living in California, New York, Texas, Florida, and New Jersey respectively. About 11.5 million are undocumented, according to Migration Policy Institute data.

Along growing diversity is a starker divide on the issue of immigration and how to address it, especially along party lines. A Pew Research Center study released last month found that 50 percent of Americans disapprove of Obama's executive action, narrowly surpassing the 46 percent who agree with the decision. The same study found that 82 percent of Republicans surveyed said they disagree with the president, while 71 percent of Democrats said they approve a divide mirrored in the stalemate on immigration policy between the White House and Congress.

The Washington Post articulated the problem in a Jan. 5 editorial: Like the Republicans, we worry that Mr. Obamas executive order attempts to accomplish what should be done through legislation ... [But] rather than take the challenge, Republicans now appear intent on confirming their image as the party of no solution to the immigration dilemma.

For some, the solution lies in finding a tenable middle ground. In his book American Dreams, to be released next week, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) outlined a series of bills aimed at addressing the issue piecemeal, arguing against the sweeping methods that the president has tried to employ. Mr. Rubio, a potential candidate in the 2016 presidential elections,himself previously tried to pass a comprehensive immigration bill in the last Congress.

He writes, "We must begin by acknowledging, considering our recent experience with massive pieces of legislation, [that] achieving comprehensive immigration reform of anything in a single bill is simply not realistic."

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Immigration stalemate: Will growing diversity make it worse?

WINN WEEKENDER BEST OF 2014
A review of four of the major stories of 2014: The Basseterre High School, The Motion of no Confidence, the Ebola outbreak and Obama #39;s immigration reform.

By: WINNFM St. Kitts

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WINN WEEKENDER BEST OF 2014 - Video

President Obama looks ahead to 2015 / LGBT, Equality, Immigration Reform
President Obama looks ahead to 2015 President Obama has set the tone for 2015 with a host of executive actions that fulfill promises he made for his presiden...

By: MSNBC News

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President Obama looks ahead to 2015 / LGBT, Equality, Immigration Reform - Video

Mabuhay and hafa adai!

Happy New Year! It is officially 2015, and to kick off the New Year, let's take the opportunity to look back at significant immigration events during the past year.

Although Congress was unable to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill during 2014, the immigration system still underwent several changes.

First, 2014 was a year full of immigration changes stemming from executive orders. In the beginning part of 2014, the Obama administration issued an executive order that affected the immediate relatives of individuals who were serving in the United States military or who had served in the United States military. This regulation enabled thousands of out-of-status immediate family members to avoid deportation.

In the end of the year, the Obama administration again issued several executive orders. One regulation expanded the application of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which was originally implemented in 2012. The DACA program enables certain individuals, who entered the country at a young age to apply for an employment authorization and to avoid deportation for a certain period.

Another regulation issued at the same time frame, created the Deferred Action for Parental Accountability program. The DAPA program allows certain individuals who have a United States permanent resident or United States citizen child to also apply for an employment authorization for a certain period.

Collectively, these two programs are supposed to affect millions of out of status or non-status individuals. However, none of the executive orders address the plight of millions of out of status or non-status adults, who entered the United States as adults and who do not have any United States permanent resident or citizen children.

Second, during the summer of 2014, the Supreme Court of the United States issued the opinion of Scialabba v. Cuellar De Osorio, which had a great impact on immigration law. The opinion had the effect of limiting immigration benefits, rather than increasing it.

The Scialabba opinion had the effect of precluding the ability of derivative beneficiaries in the F3 and F4 visa categories, who have aged out, to retain the original priority dates that was once assigned on the petition filed on behalf of their principal beneficiaries (mother or father).

Third, in the fall of 2014, certain fee changes were also announced for certain immigration applications and benefits. Of specific import to our local readers were the fee changes to the Affidavit of Support Review fee, which increased from $88 to $120, and the Immigrant Visa Processing fee, which increased from $230 to $325.

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An immigration look back at 2014

Published December 31, 2014

FILE: Dec. 11, 2014: House Speaker John Boehner speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C.(AP)

With control of the House and now the Senate, Republicans will return to Congress next week looking for early victories on such key issues as immigration and domestic energy to set the tone for the next two years and position their party to win the White House in 2016.

Incoming Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already made clear his first order of business is to pass a bill to build the Keystone XL pipeline.

In the final days of the last congressional session, such legislation was narrowly defeated in the then-Democrat-controlled Senate, but easily passed in the GOP-led House, creating the potential for a bill to promptly pass both chambers in the face of Senate Democrats who sat on the bill for years.

The House could vote as early as next week on legislation to expedite pipeline construction, Fox News has learned.

Passing immigration reform will undoubtedly be more difficult for Republicans, but would be a major step toward winning the Hispanic vote on the way to taking the White House.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham recently argued that Republicans winning the 2016 presidential race essentially hinges on the party using its newly-acquired congressional majority to deliver on the issue.

The Senate in 2013 passed comprehensive reform with bipartisan support. And House Speaker John Boehner has said he, too, wants to pass immigration reform but has not had the votes from his conservative caucus.

However, midterm wins have given Boehner a historic majority and an additional 13 seats, complete with several handpicked winners, which should provide some cushion from far-right defectors.

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WE'LL FIX IT: GOP-controlled Congress sets sights on jobs, immigration