White House: Obama to delay immigration action

Just today I read another opinion piece that blasted the administration for the delay and again the statement, "the immigration system is broken" was made. But the pundit didn't bother to explain how it is "broken." I have yet to see anyone making that claim back up the claim with actual facts about what exactly is broken. The system worked perfectly well for my Mexican neighbor who first came here over 10 years ago as an agricultural worker. Over the years he has married and has a family---all the time doing things the legal way. He brought his parents here---again legally. It wasn't as easy as those folks just waltzing across the border but he values his citizenship and is highly ticked off about all the "trash" he sees invading the country.
So, could someone please explain to me how the "system is broken"?
Is it simply a consequence of the throw-away society? There was a time in this country when if your TV broke, you took it in and got it fixed. Same with the toaster or washing machine. Today, if your TV breaks, you throw it away and buy a new one. So the mentality seems to be that if it isn't working in the manner that some would wish it to work, call it "broken" and throw it out. Without knowing what parts are "broken" how can we as a populace know what needs fixing?