New America Media, News Report, Posted: Jun 15, 2012

 
President Obama today will announce that his administration will grant deferred action to undocumented youth who were brought to the United States as small children and who have been raised and educated here. Deferred action is not permanent legal status or citizenship but rather a way to allow those young people, who have been in this country since they were young, to complete their education, continue their military service or begin their careers. The grant of deferred action will be issued on a case-by-case basis and is renewable every two years. 


According to DHS, deferred action will be offered to young people between the ages of 15-30 who came to the U.S. before the age of 16 and have been in the country for at least five years, have no criminal history, and are in the country as of today.

The news is being lauded by immigrant rights advocates for providing relief from deportation while Congress looks into a more permanent solution such as the DREAM Act, which would give undocumented young people who are enrolled in college or the military a pathway to citizenship.