Washington (CNN) -- With Congress mired in dysfunction over immigration, President Barack Obama says he'll do what he can to sidestep the legislative logjam. One possibility: using presidential authority to remove the threat of possible deportation for a few million immigrants living illegally in the country, a step that conservatives decry as amnesty. Here is a look at how we got here and steps Obama could take in coming months to address what all parties agree is a broken immigration system and boost the Democratic brand, though not necessarily in this year's congressional elections. What is the problem? An estimated 11 million or more immigrants are living illegally in the United States, many of them for years or even decades. They work, go to school and otherwise participate in American society even though they broke the law coming here and lack papers allowing them to stay.
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President Obama looks at what he can do without Congress
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More than 11 million immigrants now live illegally in America
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Possibilities include work permits for a few million of them
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Both parties agree the system is broken, but can't agree on a fix
That would violate existing law and be "a direct affront to every single unemployed American, particularly those in our poorest most vulnerable @placeholder communities," Sessions said.