The Hill News

President Obama on Tuesday intensified his pressure on Congress to create a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrant students.

In his State of the Union speech, the president said it "doesn't make sense" to kick promising kids out of the country when they could be contributing to its economic growth.

"Many were brought here as small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation," Obama said. "Others came more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else.

"That doesn’t make sense," he added.

Although he didn't name the legislation, Obama's reference was to the DREAM Act, a controversial proposal carving a route to permanent residency â€" and eventually citizenship â€" for certain illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. Qualified individ! uals must have been in the country for at least five years; have earned a high school diploma, or its equivalent; and enter an institution of higher education or the military.

It's an issue that sharply divides him from his possible Republican opponent in November's election.

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