Undocumented immigrants' interest in federal deferred action program high, applications low

Nationwide, some 53,000 deferred action applications had been approved as of Nov. 15, among roughly 300,000 accepted for review. About 10,000 applications have been rejected, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' Office of Performance and Quality. USCIS had no state-specific data, a spokesman said.

Local immigration attorneys said they are aware of five people who were referred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for possible deportation after their applications were denied, likely due to unresolved criminal matters, Keen said. 

A surge in applications had been expected after the presidential election, but that hasn't been the case, he said.

As more people are approved for the deferred action program, that may change. Keen said some people are reticent "to give up all this information for something that allows them to be here for just two years."

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