The White House is now using the term “Americans-in-waiting” to describe the thousands of illegal immigrants waiting for green cards “as a result of our broken immigration system.”

The White House used the new phrase Tuesday in an update on President Obama’s executive amnesty actions, titled “Taking Action to Unlock the Economic Contributions of Americans-in-Waiting,” Weasel Zippers first reported.

The update announces a “final rule” that will allow the spouses of certain high-skilled workers to “contribute to the economy while they wait to obtain lawful permanent residence status.”

“DHS estimates that in the first year, there may be nearly 180,000 spouses eligible to apply for employment authorization under this rule, with as many as 55,000 eligible annually in following years,” the White House statement said. “These women and men are Americans-in-waiting, whose families are often stuck for years in lengthy green card backlogs as a result of our broken immigration system. Allowing them to put their skills to use will reduce the strain on their families during that waiting time, and will yield significant benefits for our economy as well.”

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