On June 15, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano made a significant announcement: On Aug. 15, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) would begin implementing the Obama administration’s executive order regarding deferred-action status and a two-year employment-authorization card (a work card) for certain qualifying young foreign nationals.
Community and immigration rights groups, as well as immigration attorneys, have been deluged with requests for assistance with this process. Approximately 1.4 million undocumented children currently are in the United States, according to statistics on the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s website. As of Oct. 15, the USCIS has received 179,794 deferred action applications, but only 4,591 have been approved, according to the USCIS website.
