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We must be entering an election cycle.  The pandering is beginning to hit full steam (I know, I know...did it ever stop?):

Bowing to pressure from immigrant rights activists, the Obama administration said Thursday that it will halt deportation proceedings on a case-by-case basis against illegal immigrants who meet certain criteria, such as attending school, having family in the military or having primary responsible for other family members' care.

 

The move marks a major step for President Obama, who for months has said he does not have broad categorical authority to halt deportations and said he must follow the laws as Congress has written them.

Imagine that...Mr. Obama has been voting "present" on the issue for months as his team evaluates which side of the issue would be most politically advantageous to him.  Now that they've made a determiniation, it appears he has decided that whole "following the laws of Congress" thing isn't all that it was once cracked up to be.

Leave the issue of illegal immigration to the side for just a second and realize how weak this really is.  It depicts a guy who is willing to hide behind a façade he doesn't really believe in the first place (that he must act in obedience to Congress), but one that he hopes will benefit him politically.  He then breaks from that façade not because anything has changed methodologically, but simply because he finds it more beneficial politically to leave his hiding place.  Amazing that anyone would continue defending this guy's shameless lack of leadership.

Okay, now back to the actual issue:

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said she does have discretion to focus on "priorities" and that her department and the Justice Department will review all ongoing cases to see who meets the new criteria.

 

"This case-by-case approach will enhance public safety," she said. "Immigration judges will be able to more swiftly adjudicate high-priority cases, such as those involving convicted felons."

What's humorously pathetic is that the focus on deporting convicted felon illegals should already be a foregone conclusion, and of the highest priority.  That this wasn't already the policy is an astounding statement in an of itself.

What this policy shift really means?  It means that deportations of illegal immigrants is going to slow tremendously over the next year of Obama's first term.  Oh, for your "safety" of course.  The fact that such a move matches up with his bid for re-election in a cycle that it is clear he must overpeform with certain demographics like Hispanics to even have a chance.that's a mere coincidence.