President Barack Obama is expected to announce a series of executive actions on immigration issues before the end of the year, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said Saturday, a move that could anger Republican lawmakers.

Johnson told a conference at the Reagan Presidential Library that the current immigration system had serious problems and that reforms were clearly needed. Given the failure of Congress to pass legislation, the Obama administration could resolve some issues under existing legal authorities, he said.

Johnson provided few details but said the executive actions would be comprehensive and would include measures aimed at strengthening border security.

“We’re in the final stages of developing some executive actions,” Johnson said. “We have a broken immigration system. The more I delve into it, the more problems I see.”

Republicans, who won control of the Senate in the Nov. 4 elections, have warned Obama that executive action on immigration would poison hopes for bipartisan cooperation in Congress.

Asked Thursday whether there was a way for Republicans to block Obama on immigration without a government shutdown over funding the government, House Speaker John Boehner said, “We’ll find out.”

Several House Republicans, including some in leadership, said Friday that they were trying to find alternatives that would stop short of directly threatening a government shutdown.

A vocal group of conservatives is pressing to ban funds needed to implement any move that would allow millions of undocumented immigrants to stay and work in the United States.

The New York Times reported Thursday that Obama plans to announce an overhaul of U.S. immigration policy through executive action that would shield up to 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation.
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