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Predicting little progress on immigration reform in the next Congress, some of the nation's top advocates say they're shifting gears to focus on defending President Obama's new deportation policy from GOP attacks.

"We're not looking to Congress for relief in the next two years," Frank Sharry, head of America's Voice, an advocacy group, said Thursday during a breakfast at the Mayflower Hotel in downtown Washington. "We're looking to defend the win that we've had, and to set the stage to expand on that win."

But Obama and the Democrats are largely opposed to that strategy for fear that passing the popular provisions as stand-alone bills would doom the more controversial elements, particularly the legalization and citizenship benefits for millions of immigrants living in the country illegally.

What we dont want to do is simply carve out one piece of it ... but leave behind some of the tougher stuff that still needs to get done, Obama said last year.

That partisan conflict, the liberal advocates say, sets the stage for yet another two-year impasse on the thorny issue of reform policy.

"I don't think that there's any chance of comprehensive immigration reform this Congress," said Marshall Fitz, an immigration expert at the liberal Center for American Progress.

With those dynamics in mind, liberal reform advocates say their focus is shifting to the implementation and defense of Obama's new deportation policy, rather than expectations of bold congressional action.

"That's going to be the movement's priority. It is in the interest of our community to make this program a success," said Cristina Jimenez, managing director of United We Dream, another group pushing for comprehensive reform.

"Republicans have a self-interest, politically, to work on it [comprehensive reform]," she added. "We just don't see how they get their party together to actually provide a viable solution."

In the absence of congressional action, Obama last month adopted new rules that will halt deportations and grant work permits to as many as 5 million illegal immigrants. The move outraged Republicans, who are searching for legislative ways to dismantle the program.

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Immigration advocates shift to defense

Immigrant youth in Arizona will no longer be denied drivers licenses, at least for now. A Supreme Court ruling in a lawsuit Wednesday denied Arizona from continuing to ban drivers licenses for youth who have been granted deferred action by the Obama administration, while the legal battle played out. While the Supreme Court considers Arizonas appeal in the case, so-called DREAMers who have received deportation relief under the federal program will soon be able to get driver's licenses in Arizona, according to a press release from the American Civil Liberties Union, a plaintiff in the case.

This is a victory for the community. It will change many lives for the better, Carla Chavarria, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said in a statement. Personally, I will be able to run my business more effectively and no longer have to rely on public transportation. We will be able to contribute to our state without any boundaries.

Chavarria and other plaintiffs, including Dulce Matuz,president of the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition, have challenged the state policy, which was ordered by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer in 2012 after President Barack Obama created a federal immigration program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. DACA permits young undocumented immigrants who came to the United States before turning 16 to stay in the country and work. DACA recipients can lawfully obtain drivers licenses in nearly every state, except Nebraska and Arizona, according to the National Immigration Law Center.

The plaintiffs argue Brewers policy is discriminatory and violates constitutional rights by interfering with federal immigration law. Although DACA allows certain undocumented immigrants to remain and work in the United States, the lawsuit states that Brewers policy sabotages the federal program by creating a serious hurdle for young immigrants in Arizona who wish to participate and be productive in their community. Brewer has argued that the Obama immigration policy is illegal and that the immigrants do not have legal rights.

Arizona has a large illegal immigrant population and more than 23,000 DREAMers in the state have qualified for temporary work visas under the Obama policy, according to the latest data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Just last month, Obama announced executive actions to expand the deferred action program and create a new one for parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. When the expanded federal immigration program goes into effect next year, the number of deferred action recipients in Arizona is likely to surge.

Arizona, along with 23 other U.S. states, has signed a pending lawsuit against Obama, claiming his executive actions on immigration last month are unconstitutional and exceed his presidential authority.

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Immigration Reform 2014: Illegal Immigrants Will Get Driver's Licenses In Arizona After Supreme Court Decision

Thank You Obama!
Immigrants express gratitude to President Barack Obama for action on Immigration reform.

By: PapaK Comedy

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Thank You Obama! - Video

President Obama Speech on Immigration - Obama Unveils immigration reform by executive orde
President Obama Speech on Immigration - Obama Unveils immigration reform by executive order! President Obama Speech on Immigration - Obama Unveils immigration reform by executive order!

By: Marian Santiago

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President Obama Speech on Immigration - Obama Unveils immigration reform by executive orde - Video

WASHINGTON (AP) - A Congress that began with bright hopes for immigration legislation is ending in bitter divisions on the issue even as some Republicans warn that the political imperative for acting is stronger than ever for the GOP.

In place of a legislative solution, President Barack Obama's recent executive action to curb deportations for millions here illegally stands as the only federal response to what all lawmakers agree is a dysfunctional immigration system. Many Democrats are convinced Latino voters will reward them for Obama's move in the 2016 presidential and Senate elections, while some Republicans fear they will have a price to pay.

"If we don't make some down payment toward a rational solution on immigration in 2015, early 2016, good luck winning the White House," said Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, an author of the comprehensive immigration bill that passed the Senate last year with bipartisan support, but stalled in the GOP-led House.

With the expiration of the 113th Congress this month, that bill will officially die, along with its path to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants in this country illegally.

Immigration is certain to be a focus for the new, fully Republican-led Congress when it convenes in January - but there's little expectation the GOP will make another attempt at comprehensive reforms.

Instead, GOP leaders in the House and Senate have pledged to take action to block Obama's executive moves, setting up a battle for late February when funding expires for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration matters. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has promised action on a border security bill as part of that.

Whether Congress can do anything to stop Obama remains unclear, since he's certain to veto any effort to undo his executive moves. It's also not clear lawmakers could pass a border bill, or that Obama would sign it if they did.

While some congressional Republicans are arguing for action on piecemeal reforms, most advocates are resigned to waiting until a new president takes office in 2017 for lawmakers to make another attempt at a comprehensive overhaul that resolves the central immigration dilemma - the status of the millions here illegally.

"They had the best chance in a generation and they couldn't get enough support from the Republican caucus," said Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, an immigrant advocacy group. "It may well be that they're going to have to lose the White House and both chambers of Congress for us to get comprehensive immigration reform."

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End game: No immigration deal, just divisions