About 800,000 young illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children could be spared deportation for at least two years under new rules announced on Friday by President Barack Obama that may appeal to Hispanic voters in an election year.

"This is not amnesty. This is not immunity. This is not a path to citizenship. It is not a permanent fix," Obama told reporters at the White House, adding that a permanent US immigration policy solution would have to come from Congress.

The move comes as Obama, a Democrat, is courting the nation's fast-growing Hispanic population while trying to win re-election on November 6 against Republican Mitt Romney, who has taken a harsh stand against illegal immigration. Most US illegal immigrants are Hispanics.

Under Obama's plan, those who qualify would be allowed to live and work in the United States for two years and could be eligible for extensions, the Obama administration said.

Obama has long supported measures to allow the children of illegal immigrants to study and work in the United States, but efforts to pass such measures in Congress have failed amid objections by Republicans.

The president's action sidestepped Congress and laid down a challenge to Republicans, many of whom view leniency on deportations as amounting to amnesty for illegal immigrants at a time when there are an estimated 12 million such people in the United States.

Republican lawmakers attacked the president's move, accusing Obama of encroaching into Congress' authority to set laws governing US citizenship.

But Obama said, "This is a temporary stop-gap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to talented, driven, patriotic young people."

Many of these illegal residents have lived most of their lives in the United States, attending American elementary and secondary schools. "They are Americans in their hearts and minds; in every single way but one - on paper," Obama said.

While campaigning in New Hampshire, Romney said, "The president's actions make reaching a long-term solution more difficult."

There are up to 2 million illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children and who remain in the country, according to immigration group estimates. US officials said the new measures would affect roughly 800,000 people.

美国总统奥巴马上周五公布了一项停止遣返守法年轻非法移民的新政策，大约80万在少年儿童时期进入美国的守法年轻非法移民因此受益至少两年。这项新政策有望在美国总统大选之际为奥巴马赢得拉美裔选民的选票。

奥巴马在白宫告诉记者：“这不是大赦，也不是豁免，更不是取得国籍的途径。这不是长期措施。”奥巴马补充说，有关美国移民政策的长期解决方案应该由国会出台。

民主党人奥巴马颁布此项政策意在讨好美国越来越多的拉美裔民众，争取在今年11月6日的美国总统大选中战胜共和党候选人米特-罗姆尼，成功连任。罗姆尼对非法移民的态度非常强硬。美国大多数非法移民都是拉美裔。

奥巴马政府表示，按照该计划，符合上述条件的非法移民将可以在美国生活工作和生活两年，并有资格继续延期。

奥巴马一直支持允许非法移民的子女在美学习和工作的政策，但由于共和党反对，类似决议一直没能在国会获得通过。

此举绕开了国会，也使共和党面临挑战。据估计，美国目前有1200万非法移民，很多共和党人认为对遣返的宽容就等于对非法移民的大赦。

共和党立法者批评了奥巴马的新政，指责他逐渐渗入了国会立法管理美国国籍的权威。

但奥巴马说：“这只是一项临时的消除差距的政策，使我们能够更明智地集中资源，同时让有才能、充满动力、爱国的年轻人得到一丝安慰，也让他们看到希望。”

这其中有很多非法居民已经在美国生活了大半生，在美国就读中小学。奥巴马说：“他们的心里和思想上都是美国人，除了名义上，他们在所有方面都是美国人。”

在新罕布什尔州进行竞选宣传的罗姆尼说：“总统的举动使得达成长期的移民政策更困难了。”

根据移民组织的估计，有多达200万非法移民在幼年时期就来到美国，并一直生活在这里。美国官员表示，新政策将影响到大约80万人。