After urging the president for years to push for immigration reform and to end some deportations, Latino voters and immigration advocacy groups now want to prove that it was worth the political risk.

The president announced Friday that his administration will grant work authorizations and halt deportation of some undocumented young people, so long as they meet certain criteria such as attending college or joining the military.

It falls short of the reform most advocates wanted — it can be undone at any time, and there is no path to citizenship for those eligible — but it’s a bigger step than the president has taken before on immigration. But as the election comes closer, many say it will be important to demonstrate that the move also is politically beneficial. Advocates are feeling pressure to successfully flex their electoral muscle amid high expectations for Democrats to win a significant percentage of the Latino vote, especially as the GOP struggles to overcome its disadvantage with Latino voters.

“One of the things that we’ve been saying for years to Latino voters is, ‘Look, you have to vote based on your hopes, your dreams, your agenda, who best speaks to what you want to see happen,” said Service Employees International Union Secretary-Treasurer Eliseo Medina, who advocates for immigration reform. “When you have a candidate that does this, by god, you need to get out and support him.”

Read the full story at the Huffington Post