US Approves Thousands of Immigrant Youths For Deferred Action Program

As of this week, thousands of young undocumented immigrants have the chance to live out the American Dream.

The Obama Administration approved more than 4,500 undocumented youths for acceptance in a program allowing them to stay in the U.S. and get a work permit, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services told the Press Friday that 180,000 people have applied for entry into President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, enacted in August. Of those applications, 4,591 were approved as of Wednesday, allowing those youths to work in the country.

While no applications have been rejected, Homeland Security officials told the Press Friday that it could take at least two months after an application is received for them to reject the request. The process would take longer if more information is required of the applicant.

Under the deferred action program, as defined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, young immigrants that came to the U.S. as children and are found to not present a risk to national security or public safety, and meet several key criteria will be considered for relief from removal from the country or from entering into removal proceedings

Republican candidate Mitt Romney's previous promises to eliminate the deferred action program appear to have changed somewhat, according to an interview last week with The Denver Post, during which Romney said that that receiving temporary work permits and permitted to stay in the country under Obama's program for immigrant youth would not be deported if he were elected president.

Yet Romney is grossly lagging behind with Latino voters, according to ABC News, whose recent tracking polls of Latino voters in all 50 states strongly in favor of Obama over Romney by a 72 percent to 20 percent margin. In battleground states with large Hispanic populations such as Florida, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado, it remains to be seen whether those votes can swing those key states Obama's way during the Nov. 6 election.