Obama Predicts Court Victory in Amnesty Battle

President Barack Obama is predicting victory in his quest to grant amnesty to 4 million immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally.

On a visit to Miami Wednesday he told those immigrants not to worry about being deported, saying the courts will side with him.

The Obama administration is fighting at the appeals court in a bid to overturn a ruling that has blocked the president's executive action on immigration.

"If we don't (win), we'll take it up from there," Obama said, apparently referring to an appeal to the Supreme Court.

A 26-state coalition is suing Obama, alleging the president's action overstepped his constitutional authority.

In Congress, some conservatives are still fighting to block the president. The House tied Homeland Security funding to a repeal of Obama's immigration order.

But Senate Republicans have now agreed to approve a clean bill on the funding.

That leaves House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, with a tough decision in the days ahead.

"The House has done its job to fund the Department of Homeland Security and to stop the president's overreach on immigration," Boehner said.

"We're waiting for the Senate to do their job. Senate Democrats have stood in the way now for three weeks over a bill that should have been debated and passed," he said Wednesday.

Thirty House conservatives sent a letter to Boehner and other top Republican leaders urging them to "stand firm against these unlawful executive actions" by Obama.

Meanwhile, officials have said more than 85 percent of Homeland Security employees will continue to work even if the funding is not approved in time.

That means 200,000 out of 230,000 employees will stay on the job to protect the nation, including front-line workers at the Customs and Border Patrol, the Secret Service, and the Transportation Security Administration.