President Obama on Wednesday called on the House to “listen to the will of the American people” and vote on Senate-passed immigration legislation, something the White House knows is unlikely to happen as long as Republicans are deeply divided on the issue.

What’s more likely is the statement gives the president political cover for executive actions to “fix” existing law to his liking. As my colleague Susan Ferrechio reports, House Democrats have been collaborating with the White House to pressure Republicans on the issue, and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has been studying a number of ways to bypass Congress, most likely in the area of deportations.