Under Executive Actions on Immigration, Who Can Apply for Protection from Deportation?

MPI estimates the Obama administration's November 2014 executive actions creating a new Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program and expanding the existing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program could extend relief from deportation to an additional 4 million unauthorized immigrants. That would bring the total number potentially eligible for deferred action to as many as 5.2 million people—nearly half of the 11.4 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States. The DAPA program and DACA expansions were blocked by a federal judge in a legal challenge filed by 26 states—a case that the Supreme Court on January 19, 2016 said it would hear. See below for a breakdown of who could be eligible for the DAPA and expanded DACA programs should the Supreme Court permit the programs to go forward.