For years the administration has directed government attorneys to dismiss thousands of deportation cases against illegal immigrants. The White House has also pressed employees of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to speed up approval of applications.

As early as July 2010, the White House began contemplating “Administrative Alternatives to Comprehensive Immigration Reform,” or ways that Obama could achieve policy outcomes absent action from Congress. In many instances, it has followed through on these suggested “alternatives,” most notably in June 2012, when the administration unilaterally implemented portions of the DREAM Act, legislation that had repeatedly failed to pass Congress. Since then, the administration has granted legal status to more than 500,000 applicants, while rejecting fewer than 15,000.

Obama’s Justice Department has pursued legal action against states and municipalities that set out to do local enforcement of immigration laws, while declining to take action against those states that ignore immigration laws or prevent federal agents from enforcing them.