In unilaterally granting temporary deportation relief to nearly 5 million illegal immigrants, President Obama not only appeased a large portion of likely Democratic voters, but also the governments of Mexico and Central America, the birth places of the immigrants, reported Breitbart.
The presidents of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras issued a sincere "Thanks Obama" in the days after his executive immigrant action which, along with shielding them from deportation, grants the undocumented immigrants work permits and Social Security numbers.
And why wouldn't they be thanking Obama? In addition to hundreds of thousands of their citizens finding a legal home in the world's leading superpower, billions in remittances are being sent back to each country to boost their economies.
In 2013, migrants' remittances from the U.S. to Mexico totaled $22 billion. For all other Latin America countries, remittances totaled $31.8 billion, according to Pew Hispanic.
According to Enrique Peña Nieto, Mexico's president, Obama's executive actions show appreciation for "the great contributions of millions of Mexicans to the development of the neighboring country of North America," Agencia EFE reported.
"These measures are a relief for migrants, especially of Mexican origin, [and] are the most important that have been taken [by the U.S.] in several decades, virtually in the last 30 years," he added.
Most of the illegal immigrants, around 60 percent, are of Mexican heritage, according to the latest Department of Homeland Security estimates from 2012.
Of the 11.4 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., about 73 percent of them are from Mexico (6.7 million), El Salvador (690,000), Guatemala (560,000) and Honduras (360,000).
Hugo Martinez, foreign minister of El Salvador, wrote the following in a statement titled, "El Salvador is Pleased With the Immigration Relief Measure Announced by the U.S.":
"The Government of El Salvador, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expresses its satisfaction at the announcement made this November 20 by the President of United States of America, Barack Obama, on executive action to be implemented for the benefit of millions of undocumented immigrants who are in that nation."
The office of the Guatemalan president, Otto Perez Molina, issued a statement saying, "President Otto Perez Molina expressed his satisfaction with the immigration policy measures taken by the U.S. government, which would favor thousands of Guatemalans with a temporary permission to stay in that country."
And the Honduras government, who joined El Salvador in asking Congress to pass immigration reform, said, "The government of Honduras welcomes the announcement of U.S. President, Barack Obama, to generate a relief to some five million undocumented immigrants living in the [U.S.]... which will benefit hundreds of thousands of Hondurans."
"The move by President Obama, who made use of an executive power prerogative, will strengthen relations between the United States and Latin America, especially in Honduras, and it shows how two countries can work for the common good."
