August 19, 2011, 8:53 AM ET.

Who May Qualify to Remain in U.S. Under New Obama Immigration Policy.

By Nathan Koppel

Immigration rights advocates earlier this week voiced anger at the Obama administration for targeting criminal offenders for deportation — a crackdown, critics contend, that has netted too many low-levels offenders who are never even convicted of crimes.

Presumably, critics have less to complain about, after the president yesterday made a major shift in immigration policy, announcing that the administration might allow many of the 300,000 illegally immigrants currently facing deportation to remain in the country.

The White House announced that it would use more discretion and review deportation cases on an individual basis, possibly sparing those who aren’t deemed a true threat to public safety. Here’s an article from WSJ’s Miriam Jordan announcing the policy shift.

So, under the president’s new case-by-case approach to deportation, what type of folks stand an improved chance of remaining in the U.S. ? The administration fortunately has provided some guidance.

We start with a statement posted to the White House blog from Cecilia Munoz, the White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs.

“There are more than 10 million people who are in the U.S. illegally; it’s clear that we can’t deport such a large number,â€