INSTITUTE INDEX: The complex political calculus of immigration reform by executive order

Number of undocumented immigrants who would be protected from the threat of deportation under an immigration overhaul President Obama reportedly plans to issue by executive order as soon as next week: 5 million

Number of undocumented people who could be affected by the part of the plan that would allow parents of U.S. citizens or legal residents to obtain work documents: 2.5 million to 3.3 million

Total number of people who are currently in the U.S. illegally: 11 million

Of the dozen U.S. states with the largest number of unauthorized immigrants, number in the South: 5*

Of the dozen U.S. states with the largest share of unauthorized immigrants, number in the South: 3**

Deadline for congressional passage of a new spending bill, which would provide an opportunity for opponents of the plan to disrupt government operations: 12/11/2014

Date on which incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), when asked about a response to President Obama's immigration actions, said that his colleagues "will not be shutting down the government or threatening to default on the debt": 11/13/2014

Number of House lawmakers who have signed a letter saying that language barring the president from acting alone should be attached to the spending bill: more than 50

Percent of U.S. Latinos who support granting undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship: 77

Percent of all Americans who agree: 53

Percentage points that figure has dropped since April, a trend pollsters attribute to a shift caused by the recent influx of unaccompanied child refugees at the southern U.S. border: 11

Percentage-point drop in support among African Americans, three-quarters of whom were in favor of giving undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship as of last spring: 16

Among Latinos who are registered to vote but chose not to this year, percent who said President Obama's decision to delay executive action on immigration reform contributed to their lack of civic enthusiasm: 60

Percent of non-voting Latinos who said they could be brought back to the polls in 2016 with executive action on immigration reform before year's end: 68

* Those 12 states in descending order are California, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, Maryland, Washington, and Virginia.

** Those 12 states in descending order are Nevada, California, Texas, New Jersey, Arizona, Maryland, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, Oregon, and Illinois.

(Click on figure to go source.)