Young Immigrants Can File to Defer Deportation Aug. 15
Obama administration officials said Friday that they would begin on Aug. 15 to process applications from hundreds of thousands of young illegal immigrants expected to seek two-year deferrals of deportation. Applicants will be charged $465 for each request.
Alejandro Mayorkas, the director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency that will handle the antcipated avalanche of paperwork, provided the first logistical details since President Obama announced on June 15 that he would halt deportations of illegal immigrants who came to the United States when they were children.
Applications, which will also include requests for work permits, will be considered individually, Mr. Mayorkas said, with each immigrant undergoing a criminal and national security background check.
To encourage the maximum number of young people to come forward, Homeland Security officials gave assurances that information from the applications would not be used for immigration enforcement, which is handled by a separate agency.
Nevertheless, immigrants found to have serious criminal histories or to pose national security risks would be prosecuted for deportation, officials said, and anyone submitting a fraudulent application could face criminal prosecution.