Immigration Law Alert - Deferred Action Program for Young Undocumented Immigrants

The President and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have announced a policy for DHS to grant "deferred action" and work authorization to certain students and young adults who otherwise might be removable ("deportable") from the United States. Deferred action in general is a DHS decision not to pursue enforcement against a person for a specific period of time and allows recipients to apply for an Employment Authorization Document (commonly known as "work authorization"). This is a real, but limited, step that has engendered national discussion about the proposed Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (the "DREAM Act"), which at its core provides a form of relief to certain students and young adults who are out of status through no fault of their own and a pathway to citizenship. Although the Deferred Action Program mirrors the DREAM Act, it does not provide a pathway to lawful permanent resident status or citizenship; rather