Thousands avoid being deported

SALT LAKE CITY (AP): Nearly 4,800 young people in Utah have been given temporary reprieves from deportations under President Barack Obama's deferred action initiative that was launched one year ago.

New figures from the Department of Homeland Security show nearly 6,400 people in Utah applied, with three-fourths getting approved, The Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Half-a-million requests

The Utah contingent is only a tiny portion of the 430,000 who have been approved across the country. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a blog post this week that a total of 500,000 requests were submitted.

Obama's programme offers young people brought to the country as children and living in the United States (US) illegally the chance to stay and work if they met certain criteria.

Eligibility

To qualify, they must show that they came to America before their 16th birthday, and were 30 years old or younger when the policy was announced on June 15, 2012. They must also have lived in the US continuously since 2007, and either be in school, have graduated from high school or served in the military. And they can't have a serious criminal record or pose a threat to public safety or national security.