Morton's legal memo was proposed by the administration's USCIS Chief Counsel , Roxana Bacon informing HIM and HIS administration of available LEGAL options to protect individuals or groups from the threat of removal back in 2009.

From the NYTimes:
The memo outlined measures that the agency could take under existing laws to “reduce the threat of removal for certain individuals present in the United States without authorization,” instead of waiting for Congress to pass an immigration overhaul to give legal status to millions of illegal immigrants

According to the memo, one of those changes has been quietly put into practice since May. The new policy allows illegal immigrants who are spouses, parents and children of American citizens serving in the military to complete the process of becoming legal residents without having to leave the United States — a procedure that is known in immigration law terms as granting parole. The memo says agency officials approved the new parole approach “to preserve family unity and address Department of Defense concerns regarding soldier safety and readiness for duty.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/us/01immig.html

I noticed that the timing of the Morton memo was actually in accordance to the timeline recommended by the "administrative alternatives memo". Among other things; I believe they will soon create a "Deferred Action" form that can affirmatively be filed with USCIS (this was also a recommendation from the memo); see:

Ombudsman Recommendation: Recommendations on USCIS Deferred Action Processing
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/c...mbined-dar.pdf


However, he held off on granting these for nearly two years for fear of political reprisal. How many people were placed in removal proceedings,without a single traffic ticket, who had been long-term residents, taxpayers, and could have avoided deportation and have been helped by these guidelines had this administration had the guts to do the right thing?