CARSON CITY – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will officially begin accepting applications Wednesday for “deferred action” from young immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and who meet other specific requirements.

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano.

There are an estimated 23,300 potential beneficiaries of the program in Nevada, with a large majority, 18,570, from Mexico, according to estimates from the Immigration Policy Center (IPC).

The IPC estimates there are approximately 1.4 million immigrants currently in the United States who might meet the requirements of the deferred action initiative, either now or when they are older.

The IPC is releasing an updated Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals: A Q&A Guide outlining the basic facts about the initiative, including eligibility requirements and important information on process and timing.

The IPC also recently released estimates on who is eligible and where they live in its fact sheet, “Who and Where the DREAMers Are: A Demographic Profile of Immigrants Who Might Benefit from the Obama Administration’s Deferred Action Initiative.” This analysis breaks down the population potentially eligible for deferred action by nationality and age at the national and state level, as well as the Congressional District level.

The report shows there are 11,630 potential beneficiaries in the 1^st Congressional District in Nevada currently represented by Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev. An estimated 7,300 beneficiaries aged 15- to 30-years-old are immediately eligible, with another 4,330 future beneficiaries now aged 5- to 14-years old.

There are 5,130 estimated beneficiaries in the 2^nd Congressional District represented by Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., with 3,390 eligible now and 1,740 eligible in the future.

There are 6,540 estimated beneficiaries in the 3^rd Congressional District represented by Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., with 4,360 immediately eligible and 2,180 eligible in the future.

The action by the Obama Administration has become a campaign issue in the new 4th Congressional District in Nevada, with Republican candidate Danny Tarkanian calling it a ploy for Hispanic votes and state Sen. Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, supporting the action.

The Legal Action Center (LAC) has released a practice advisory analyzing DHS guidance regarding the eligibility criteria and application process for the initiative. It also offers strategic advice for attorneys representing individuals who may qualify for deferred action under this initiative. The LAC issued this advisory jointly with the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on June 15 announced that effective immediately, certain young people who were brought to the United States as young children, do 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.

Napolitano said the deferred action program will offer the young immigrants two-year work permits and not deport them as a temporary measure until the country’s immigration policies could be changed with the adoption of the DREAM Act.

The IPC, established in 2003, is the policy arm of the American Immigration Council. The IPC says its mission is to shape a rational conversation on immigration and immigrant integration.