President Barack Obama says he took steps on his own to fix the immigration system because it's been "broken" for a long time and "everybody knows it."

Obama says after a year and a half of waiting it was time to do something about it.

Speaking today at the Las Vegas high school where he launched his drive for Congress to send him an immigration bill, Obama outlined steps he has taken to help millions of people living in the country illegally. They are designed to make nearly 5 million of those immigrants eligible for protection from deportation and for work permits.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto is praising President Obama's executive orders granting new rights to millions of people living illegally in the United States, calling it "an act of justice."

Mexicans are believed to account for more than half of the roughly 11.2 million migrants living in the U.S. without authorization. Mexico had long pressed for better conditions for them.

Pena Nieto said in a speech Friday that Obama's plan "is an act of justice that recognizes the large contributions that millions of Mexicans have made to the development of our neighbor." He said that "these measures represent relief for immigrants, especially Mexicans."

In Honduras, the office of President Juan Orlando Hernandez said Obama's decision will benefit "Honduras and tens of thousands of families."