U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on Friday announced a major immigration policy change that exempts certain young people, who are under the age of 30 and were brought to the United States as young children, from deportation or from entering into deportation proceedings. President Barack Obama hailed the new move, while prodding Congress to pass comprehensive reform.

Napolitano announced the changes at a conference call with reporters, saying that the exempted young immigrants must prove they came to the United States under the age of 16, have continuously resided in the United States for at least five years, are currently in school, have graduated from high school, have no criminal history, have obtained a general education development certificate, or are honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces.

"Our nation's immigration laws must be enforced in a firm and sensible manner," said Napolitano. "But they are not designed to be blindly enforced without consideration given to the individual circumstances of each case. Nor are they designed to remove productive young people to countries where they may not have lived or even speak the language."

She said the policy change is well within the boundaries of current laws, insisting it is neither immunity nor amnesty, but merely "exercise of discretion." Estimates show the new policy will impact as many as 800,000 people.

In remarks made to the press from the White House, Obama said the young people affected by the new policy are "Americans in every single way but one, on paper." He said the policy is " lifting the shadow of deportation from those young people," but like Napolitano, he insisted it is neither amnesty, nor immunity, and is not a path to citizenship.

Obama also went on to prod Congress to pass comprehensive reforms, saying solving the immigration problem is good for business, good for security, and "the right thing to do."

Pro-immigration groups are quick to voice their support for the change. Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, said in a press release the announcement " provides real and much-needed relief," and praised the Obama administration. She also called for comprehensive immigration reforms, which would provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

Benjamin Jealous, president and CEO for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), hailed the move as "an affirmative step toward addressing our nation's immigration concerns while protecting our supply of intellectual capital."

But Republicans, who were apparently taken by surprise, weren't as impressed. Ohio Senator Rob Portman, a potential running mate for presumed GOP nominee Mitt Romney, called the move an "election year gambit." Marco Rubio, the Senator from Florida who was seen as another potential Romney running mate, said the move is " welcome news for many of these kids desperate for an answer," while simultaneously calling it a move that is "ignoring the Constitution and going around Congress."

The Romney campaign, which just began a bus tour in six states Friday, is still scrambling to come up with a response. The Romney campaign is keen to keep the message squarely on the economy, but they maybe forced to wade into the troubled waters of immigration.

The policy came at a crucial time for President Obama, whose support among the Hispanics is waning after failure to implement immigration reforms.

Immigration reform is a hot button issue in the coming election, as Latinos are a growing demographic group that could play a significant role in deciding who would become the next president.

Polls have suggested Democrats and Obama have more Hispanic support, while the Republicans are playing catching up.

William Galston, an expert with Brookings Institution, said recently the tough immigration rhetoric Republicans employed during their primary campaign could backfire in the general election, and Romney, who took the hardest line on immigration among candidates during the primary, "could pay a big price and maybe lose" for failure to attract Hispanic voters.

Latest Census statistics show people of Hispanic origin make up 16.3 percent of the U.S. population.

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