The number of immigrants deported from the U.S. fell to an all-time low in Barack Obama's presidency last year.

According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, immigrant deportations dropped by about 14 percent in the year that ended on Sept. 30 compared to the previous year.

Although border crossings continue to rise, less than 316,000 people were removed from the U.S. last year, states the new border patrol report.

"An even bigger decline came in the numbers of people removed after living for some time in the U.S., mostly after being ensnared in the criminal justice system. About 102,000 people were sent out of the U.S. in these so-called interior removals -- a 23 percent drop from 2013, and fewer than half the number of people deported in 2011," states the LA Times.

One reason for the decline in deportations stems from the administration's decision to concentrate on deporting people convicted of crimes and repeat immigration violations. The ICE reports shows that last year, 85 percent of the people removed from the interior were convicted of criminal activity that were mostly felonies or at least three misdemeanors.

Republicans are using the new report as fodder to criticize the Obama's administration's interior enforcement policy.

We are essentially telling citizens of other countries, "If you come here, you can stay -- don't worry, we won't deport you,'" said Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas in a statement. "The reality on the ground is that unless you commit multiple crimes, the chances of your being removed from this country are close to zero."

However, immigration practices have also served to boost President Obama's favorability with the Latino community, who previously dubbed him as the "Deporter-in-Chief" since he is on track to deport more people than any president in U.S. history.

His popularity among Latino Americans has also increased since he issued an executive order last month that would limit deportations for about 5 million people.

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