In an interview this week, Univision's Adriana Vargas asked President Obama if, in the event Congress failed to pass immigration legislation, he could simply use his presidential power to give amnesty to the estimated 11 million people currently in the U.S. illegally.
The president didn't exactly shut the door on that possibility, though he did strongly suggest it was a portal he'd rather not go through.
OBAMA: "Probably not. I think that it is very important for us to recognize that the way to solve this problem has to be legislative. I can do some things and have done some things that make a difference in the lives of people by determining how our enforcement should focus. Right now we're focused much more on criminals. We're focused much more on those who have endangered people or communities. And we've been able to provide help through deferred action for young people and students the Dreamers who I've had a chance to meet with. And they're just incredible young people and great assets to the United States. But this is a problem that needs to be fixed legislatively. So I'm not going to speculate on the House bill failing. I'm going to make sure that I do everything I can to help it succeed."