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President Obama may be ready to ease up on deportations, following reported recommendations under consideration by the Homeland Security secretary. That would please key elements of the Democratic base, but infuriate Republicans.

President Obama has long insisted he does not have the power to waive deportations of illegal immigrants on his own.

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But under pressure from political allies, Mr. Obama may be headed for some changes of immigration policy via the Department of Homeland Security. DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson is considering limiting deportations of undocumented immigrants who do not have serious criminal records, the Associated Press reported Monday.

Obama set the stage for the reported recommendations last month, when he ordered Secretary Johnson to review how current immigration law is implemented, with an eye toward conducting enforcement more humanely, as the White House put it.

The change of policy, if adopted, could shield tens of thousands of immigrants now removed each year solely because they committed repeat immigration violations, such as reentering the country illegally after having been deported, failing to comply with a deportation order, or missing an immigration court date, the AP reported.

Such a move would fall short of the larger changes pro-immigrant activists are hoping for, such as granting work permits to the illegal-immigrant parents of American-born children. At the same time, any unilateral move by the administration that grants new rights to certain illegal immigrants would likely anger Republicans, who accuse Obama of abusing his executive powers.

The president has long said the only way to achieve comprehensive immigration reform is to go through Congress. But almost a year after the Senate passed reform legislation on a bipartisan vote, the Republican-controlled House has yet to act.

Earlier this month, House Speaker John Boehner warned Obama not to act on his own, saying it would make it almost impossible to earn the trust needed to pass a new law.

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Immigration reform: If Obama moves on his own, how big a political risk? (+video)