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In the hours before President Barack Obamas anticipated announcement of unilateral immigration reform, NewsCenter 16 reached out to local groups that have been advocating for reform on a national level for years.

There is excitement, its bittersweet, its bittersweet, said Jesusa Rivera, a community organizer for the group Gamaliel.

Immigration reform is not what we imagined when we started fighting for this ten years ago but its a very historic victory for our movement. Millions of peoples lives will be changed yet well continue to fight because its not over, Rivera explained.

An announcement on immigration has been long awaited, some close to the White House said the announcement would likely protect up to five million unauthorized immigrants from the threat of deportation and provide work permits.

Rivera agreed with President Obamas anticipated decision to utilize his executive authority.

If our congress cannot get it done during the time frame theyve had a lot of time do thatsomething needs to happen, said Rivera.

Attorney at Law, Rudy Monterossa, said any change in immigration law that facilitates the path to citizenship is a much-needed change.

Monterossa deals with families and individuals seeking legal avenues to work and even drive. Unfortunately, as a part-time public defender, he sees many illegal immigrants appearing in court for repeat offenses of driving without a license.

The fact is that a lot of those individuals of the 12.5 million that are here unlawfully do have a petition submitted or some other legal means to legalize their status, but because our system is so backlogged it takes forever for them to legalize, Monterossa explained.

Contrary to Republican criticism that President Obamas expected use of the Executive Order is unconstitutional, Monterossa believes Obama is well within his authority to make the change.

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Immigration announcement is "bittersweet" for those seeking reform

With President Obama making his announcement to take executive action on immigration at 8:00 pm ET and with Republicans vowing to fight him, we have one simple prediction for both sides. To quote the famous 20th Century philosopher Clubber Lang, Pain. For Obama, our new NBC/WSJ poll previews that predicted pain, with 48% of Americans opposing him taking executive action here, versus 38% supporting him. (Those numbers look very similar to polling on the health-care law, no?) That said, our NBC/WSJ survey also shows the public supporting him on the underlying policy -- with 57% favoring a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and with 74% backing it when they hear what that pathway entails. Beyond the legal arguments (and most legal experts believe Obamas action is within the law), Obamas biggest problem here is process. Americans prefer elected leaders coming together to get something done; indeed, our NBC/WSJ poll shows the public wanting compromise over sticking to positions by a 63%-30% margin. So Obama probably is going to take a hit for going it alone. WHAT he is doing here isnt as unpopular as HOW hes doing it. And if weve learned anything in this era of political trench warfare, when the opposition is throwing the kitchen sink back at the White House, that doesnt help a presidents poll numbers.

GOP is more divided right now than the Democrats

But pain also is coming for the Republican Party. Why? Because no current issue divides the GOP more than immigration reform. Just look at the reaction after yesterdays news that Obama was going to make his executive-action announcement. On the one hand, there was outgoing Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) calling the recipients of Obamas deportation policy illiterate potential Democratic voters. On the other hand, there was Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), one of the co-authors of the Gang of 8 Senate immigration bill, who told reporters that Republicans should respond to Obama by passing immigration-reform legislation. "I hope we respond with legislation," he said. "I hope we pass legislation." Right now, the Democratic Party is much more united here than the Republican Party is, at least when it comes to how they respond. And then theres the 2016 angle. As we wrote last week, Obamas immigration action is going to ENSURE that immigration becomes a key part of the GOP presidential nominating race. Most (if not all) of the Republicans running for president are going to have to denounce the move. And then the GOP contest will turn into whos tougher against the action. Like we saw in 2008 and 2012, that would push the eventual GOP nominee farther to the right than he or she might want to go. This is why some Republicans wanted to get immigration done last year -- to keep the issue away from the 2016 race.

A product of Obamas own doing

Heres one final point well make on Obamas immigration announcement and the blowback thats coming his way: Its his own doing. By allowing Senate Democrats to persuade him to wait until AFTER the midterms to do this, youre hearing Republicans complain that Obama is ignoring the will of the voters. (Then again, the 2014 national exit poll found 57% saying illegal immigrants working in the United States should be offered a chance to apply for legal status.) Of course, had Obama made his announcement in August or September, the blowback might have come then instead of now. But given what we said above about how its already divided Republicans, you wonder if Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) wishes immigration had been the storyline heading in the final weeks of his failed re-election bid instead of everything else.

Jim Webb announces presidential exploratory committee

If you picked the former one-term Virginia senator as the FIRST person to announce a presidential bid (either in the form of an exploratory committee or full-fledged run), you win a prize. Late last night (at 11:59 pm ET !!!!!), former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, Democrat, launched his exploratory committee late Wednesday night via Twitter, NBCs Kelly ODonnell reports. The former Marine, Navy secretary and author has been hinting at a run for the Democratic nomination for months. "I made this decision after reflecting on numerous political commentaries and listening to many knowledgeable people," Webb wrote on new website Webb2016.com. "I look forward to listening and talking with more people in the coming months as I decide whether or not to run." Why announce this so late at night? And why during the Great Immigration War? If you know Webb, nothing he does conforms to conventional wisdom.

Kasich stands out in Boca

At yesterdays RGA confab in Boca Raton, FL, Ohio Gov. John Kasich stood out -- by sounding different than his fellow GOP governors who might run for president (Mike Pence, Rick Perry, Scott Walker, Bobby Jindal). Per NBCs Sarah Blackwill, of the five governors on stage, only Kasich was open to the possibility of a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, saying: "We've got to think about what's going to bring about healing. My sense is, I don't like the idea of citizenship when people jump the line, we may have to do it." Kasich's tone throughout the panel was strikingly different than his Republican colleagues, who called the president's planned move "the height of arrogance" (Jindal), "unconstitutional in his own words" (Perry), a "profound mistake" (Pence) and a "political" act to "change the subject" (Walker). Instead, Kasich called on Republican leaders in Congress to work with the president. As Yahoos Jon Ward writes, Kasich also appeared to support Common Core, and he justified his decision to expand Medicaid (Ronald Reagan expanded Medicaid, OK?).

Almost like the election never happened

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Immigration Action Will Likely Bring Pain (for Obama and GOP)

Rep. Jeffries: President Obama has the electoral mandate to act on immigration reform

By: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries

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Rep. Jeffries: President Obama has the electoral mandate to act on immigration reform - Video

Reid: Obama Should #39;go Big #39; on Immigration
Senate Majority leader Harry Reid urges President Barack Obama to #39;go big #39; as he weighs executive action on immigration reform. (Nov. 18) Subscribe for more Breaking News: http://smarturl.it/Assoc...

By: Associated Press

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Reid: Obama Should 'go Big' on Immigration - Video

By Elizabeth Aranda and Isabel Sousa-Rodriguez

updated 5:27 PM EST, Tue November 18, 2014

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Editor's note: Elizabeth Aranda is an associate professor and chairwoman of the department of sociology at the University of South Florida, and Isabel Sousa-Rodriguez is a central Florida organizer with the Florida Immigrant Coalition and a research assistant at the University of South Florida. The views expressed are their own.

(CNN) -- Back in 2010, one of us -- Isabel -- was faced with the question of whether to shake the President's hand. And, despite having been invited to the White House, he decided not to. Why? Because the families and communities of 11 million U.S. residents were still waiting years for President Obama to fulfill his promise of immigration reform. And they are still waiting, and have been left feeling betrayed by the failure of this administration to act.

Isabel Sousa-Rodriguez

Elizabeth Aranda

The meeting to discuss U.S. immigration policy in 2010 followed what was dubbed the "Trail of Dreams" walk by four immigrant college students, including Sousa-Rodriguez, from Miami to Washington to call attention to the plight of the undocumented in the United States. The 1,500 mile walk took place as the number of deportations was hitting historic highs, numbers that have resulted in some 2 million immigrants being deported. Why are we still waiting for change? The recent election results are sufficient proof of the folly of the Obama administration's approach.

After all, the Congressional Budget Office determined in June 2013 that immigration reform would boost economic output and could help cut federal budget deficits by $197 billion over the next 10 years. But just as important as the lost economic benefits of the failure to act is the human cost. In our ongoing research on undocumented youth and their mothers living in Florida, we find harrowing patterns of fear, exploitation and dehumanization. Denying opportunities for lawful status results in barriers to employment, physical and social mobility, education and health, and the lack of opportunities has a particularly troubling impact on immigrants' mental and emotional well-being.

True, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, has helped those young adults who are eligible. But our research suggests their families need relief from deportation, too, and cannot afford to continue waiting for the President to deliver on his promises.

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Immigration reform will save lives (Opinion) - CNN.com