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PDFFrom Migration Policy Institute:
Earlier this week, some of the first applicants for a two-year reprieve from deportation, aka deferred action, were notified of their successful application by a much-anticipated text message. As more than 72,000 applications have already been submitted for the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in its first few weeks, pressure is increasing on Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney to clarify his position on the program, for which only unauthorized immigrants brought to the United States as children and meeting other qualification criteria are being considered.
Media reports speculate that at the current pace, a few hundred thousand applications for deferred status and work permits could be in the pipeline by the time of the election on November 6th. Although Romney has been critical of the administration’s decision to launch the program, saying he would pursue a longer term policy, he has not offered additional detail or said how his administration would deal with deferred action recipients.
The Migration Policy Institute has estimated that potentially as many as 1.76 million unauthorized immigrants could meet the deferred action educational, length of residence, age of arrival and at application, and clean background check criteria. Earlier this week, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials stated they were prepared to receive upwards of 250,000 applications in the first month. Many applicants are likely still gathering papers and discussing risks and opportunities with family members.
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