Obama administration OKs first group of young immigrants to avoid deportation, get work nod

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration has approved the first group of young illegal immigrants who will be able to avoid deportation for up to two years and get a work permit. The approval process is months ahead of schedule.

The Homeland Security Department has approved a small group of immigrants three weeks after the government started accepting applications for the deferred deportation program. According to an internal document obtained by The Associated Press, Citizenship and Immigration Services had estimated it could take months before applications were approved.

In an email obtained by the AP on Tuesday, a Homeland Security official told a congressional staff member that the first notifications were being made this week. The official said about 72,000 applications had been received since the program’s Aug. 15 start.