President Obama addresses the nation on immigration reform

President Obama addressed the nation Thursday to make his case for immigration reform. The new plan, set in motion without Congress' approval, includes a policy that will defer deportation proceedings against as many as 5 million immigrants living illegally in the country.

The Times' National Politics Editor Cathleen Decker and other Times reporters watched and analyzed the speech and new policy initiatives. Read their tweets at right. Watch the speech below.

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Transcript: President Obama's address to the nation on immigration

This is the text, provided by the White House, of the president's remarks Thursday.

Legal reasoning behind Obama's immigration changes

The Obama ad­min­is­tra­tion provided its leg­al reas­on­ing be­hind its new im­mig­ra­tion policies and pri­or­it­ies.

What the immigration plan will offer

President Obama offered reprieves from deportation to as many as 5 million immigrants who are illegally in the United States, a controversial, unilateral move that signaled a new phase of activism for the remainder of his presidency.

How the plan could derail Republican agenda

House Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio says the president's executive action will "poison the well" for cooperation with the upcoming Republican-controlled Congress.

How the plan could benefit people in California

The changes could bring some form of legal status to hundreds of thousands of immigrants here and benefit two of the state's leading industries: technology and agriculture. They will also undoubtedly leave some immigrants out — dividing some families into those who qualify for relief and those who don't.