President Makes Immigration Pitch in Chicago

President Barack Obama is heading to Chicago Tuesday to pitch his new executive actions on immigration to community leaders.

The appearance is part of an ongoing effort to defend and promote his decision to bypass Congress and direct sweeping executive actions that could stop millions of illegal immigrants from being deported.

Meanwhile, some Republicans are promising to take legal action against the president.

Texas Gov.-elect Greg Abbott explained in a press conference Monday why he's opposed to the executive order.

"It doesn't matter where you come down on the immigration issue, most everyone agrees it is broken. Similarly, most everyone agrees that executive fiat is not the way to fix it. The president must follow the laws just like everyone else," Abbott said.

"Our constitutional structure does not work when the president is untethered from the law," he added.

The president is trying to seize the advantage over the contentious issue while Congress is on a Thanksgiving recess and Republicans scramble to coalesce behind a unified opposition strategy.

Nearly 5 million immigrants will be eligible to avoid deportation and sign up for work permits under a series of measures Obama announced last week.

The president said he first forged his ties to the Latino community in Chicago.