In recent weeks U.S. immigration authorities published a couple of internal instructions and ordinances aimed at reducing deportations for some groups of undocumented immigrants. The documents, which recently came to light, have been referred to as a "quiet amnesty," and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been severely criticized for the measures they aim to implement.

ICE set up priorities regarding the deportation primarily of groups such as: terrorists, criminals and gang members. At a second level of priority, the government will seek to deport individuals who recently entered the United States through the "green border," or those who knowingly break visa regulations. In the case of individuals who do not pose danger for the country, it has been decided to suspend deportations.

Such a move seems logical as the ICE budget does not allow for removal of all illegal immigrants. The ordinance is only a logical allocation of limited financial sources.

In a document titled "Administrative Alternatives to Comprehensive Immigration Reform," which has provoked controversy, ICE analyses how the interpretation of the current immigration law could be changed in order to allow for the legalization of status for the maximum number of immigrants. The reasons for this strategy can be found in the political situation.

The elections to the Congress are round the corner. The Democratic administration well realizes that immigrants who supported Barack Obama in the last presidential elections are feeling deceived now. Instead of the promised immigration reform, the administration is deporting a record number of immigrants annually.

Time will show what will come out of the aforementioned ordinances and how they will affect immigrants' lives in the United States. If somebody accuses the current administration for failing to executive immigration law, they can easily point to the record numbers of individuals who have been deported. On the other hand, if disillusioned voters accuse the Democrats that there is no comprehensive immigration reform, they will be reminded that students are not deported and that a "quiet amnesty" is in place.