About 4,500 immigrants spared deportation under Obama order

by Alicia A. Caldwell, Associated Press |
Pedro Leon Martinez (L) receives help from volunteer Maria Peralta in filing up his application for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program at Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles on August 15, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. Under a new program established by the Obama administration undocumented youth who qualify for the program, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, can file applications from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website to avoid deportation and obtain the right to work. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Pedro Leon Martinez (L) receives help from volunteer Maria Peralta in filing up his application for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program at Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles on August 15, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. Under a new program established by the Obama administration undocumented youth who qualify for the program, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, can file applications from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website to avoid deportation and obtain the right to work. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration has approved more 4,500 young illegal immigrants for a program to let them stay in the United States and get a work permit.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says about 180,000 people have applied for the administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program announced this summer. As of Wednesday, 4,591 applications had been approved. Those people will also get permission to work.

To date, no applications have been rejected.

The government started accepting applications on Aug. 15 and it had been expected that final decisions could take several months. Homeland Security officials have say the time to approve applications is expected to slow in coming months.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.