
Heller said that the country's immigration system needed to be reformed.
"The United States is a proud nation of immigrants and there is no question we need to reform the immigration process" Heller said in the statement Friday. "Our immigration system is bogged down in bureaucracy that is intimidating, confusing, and slow. Almost every day, my office helps someone who has been frustrated by the bureaucratic slog of our immigration system."
But, Heller continued, Obama's decision is not a "long-term solution."
"However, the President has had three years to work with Congress to reform the immigration system and help undocumented children. Unilateral action by the Administration will not provide a long-term solution to this very serious issue. Democrats and Republicans need to come together to solve this problem. Temporary actions will only fuel uncertainty for these children and their families."
Heller's comments are somewhat similar to ones made by Sen. Marco Rubio

Rubio's proposal provides non-immigrant visas to young immigrants but does not offer a pathway to citizenship. Immigration reform legislation authored by Sen. Dick DurbinRichard (Dick) Joseph DurbinSupreme Court poised to hear first major gun case in a decade Protecting the future of student data privacy: The time to act is now Overnight Health Care: Crunch time for Congress on surprise medical bills | CDC confirms 47 vaping-related deaths | Massachusetts passes flavored tobacco, vaping products ban MORE (D-Ill.) called the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act similarly aims to keep the same group of young immigrants from being deported but, unlike Rubio's proposal, also includes a pathway to citizenship.
Under the administration's policy, young immigrants living in the country illegally will not be deported as long as they came to the United States before they were sixteen, have lived in the country for five consecutive years, have or are pursuing a high-school diploma or earned their GED or are serving in the military. Additionally, they must not have been convicted of a felony and not currently be older than 30.