I found this whole thing odd from the beginning... announcing some sort of immigration EO right before the election? That did not seem like a great idea when it comes to current politics.

It must have been some sort of a ploy and they surely knew what they were doing. Because they aren't stupid. However from the sidelines it did not seem like the best thing to do at this time.

It's also possible that it could of worked to their (Democrat) advantage. After all it did help Obama win the presidential election. But maybe certain recent events changed that and they had to adapt.