Berks County residents paid close attention to President Barack Obama's speech on immigration Thursday night.
At La Familia bodega on N. 6th Street in Reading, customers were glued to the television screen.
"I think they [undocumented immigrants] should be very happy with the decision that he made. I put myself in their shoes and I would be happy, too," said Gerardo Osorio.
Roughly 5 million undocumented immigrants will have a path to remain in the U.S. temporarily and avoid deportation.
The main beneficiaries are immigrants who have been in the U.S. illegally for more than 5 years, but whose children are citizens or lawful permanent residents. Those who are eligible must also pay fines, back taxes and pass a criminal background check.
Those who get the green light, will be able to avoid deportation for three years, and get work permits.
The president says this move is not about amnesty but about holding undocumented immigrants accountable.
But some still say the president went too far by taking executive action, bypassing Congress.
"No, I mean that's why there's checks and balances. That's why we have the other branches of the government," said Dave Lengel, from Reading.
Others still remain torn by this very controversial and divisive issue.
"I'm really neutral on it," said Chad Laity. "You need X amount of workers in the U.S. to do a certain amount of jobs. On the flip side, I can see that those who followed the legal process should have priority over those who didn't."
Republicans are already looking at a range of actions, including filing legal challenges.
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