Following years of unsuccessful attempts by Congress to accomplish meaningful immigration reform, President Barack Obama is warning that he will be taking matters into his own hands, despite threats of impeachment from Republicans. Saying that if the Republicans are truly eager to address a “broken immigration system,” then his actions will not prevent it, and should instead be a spur for the GOP to try and accomplish the task.

Speaker of the House John Boehner said that Americans made it clear on election day that they did not want the president acting unilaterally in order to get thigs done. Obama responded at a press conference on Friday that he will use his executive powers if necessary.

The issue is the president’s consideration of using executive action to remove the threat of deportation for nearly 5 million illegal immigrants. Critics have begun to mention impeachment, including Fox News’ commentator Charles Krauthammer, who said that although the executive branch has the ability to exercise discretion in the prosecution of crimes, it does not allow unilateral rewriting of laws. Some legal experts do not agree, saying the president has broad powers of prosecutorial discretion, and that the government can decide the best way to deploy limited law enforcement resources.

At question is whether to take action against the illegal parents of children who are themselves legal residents or U.S. citizens, and have lived in the country for at least five years. With 11 million undocumented immigrants, and the resources to deport only a few hundred thousand each year, these people would be put on the bottom of the list. How to decide who goes at the bottom of the list is the question at issue.

The only voices calling for impeachment are fringe GOP lawmakers, with the majority of House and Senate Republicans concerned that it could turn America against heir party. Conservatives want the GOP to include provisions that would block Obama’s immigration action on bills to fund the government, action which would threaten a presidential veto or a government shutdown.