Obama Jokes His Critics Think He's An Illegal Immigrant

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AP/Evan Vucci

President Barack Obama.

President Barack Obama tweaked his conservative critics on Tuesday by jokingly suggesting they view him as an undocumented immigrant.

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"They're pretty sure that I'm an illegal immigrant," Obama quipped, before adding, "That was a joke."

Obama was speaking at a town hall event in Nashville, Tennessee, that focused the executive order he issued last month shielding millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation. Though Obama's unilateral action has been fiercely criticized - with some Republicans even comparing him to an emperor - he insisted both sides of the issue agree on some core principles.

"The bottom line of what I say to folks on the other side of this debate is: Work with me to reflect the wisdom of the American people. And I think that the American people's wisdom is: People who are already here, let's give them a shot, let's get them out of the shadows," Obama said. "Does that mean everybody is going to listen to me on the other side? Not necessarily."

This isn't the first time Obama has mocked his critics with jokes about the perception he's foreign. Earlier this year, he made a quip about conservatives who believe conspiracy theories that he wasn't born in the US.

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"Just to be clear, I know where my birth certificate is," he laughed at a New York City event. "You remember that? That was crazy."