Broader lessons in Obama immigration reform

MIAMI (AP):

The first year of the Obama administration's temporary reprieve for youth living in the country illegally has shown that any broader immigration reform effort would require the government to better prepare by streamlining application procedures and by providing more information about what documents are needed to apply to stay in America, experts say.

Immigrant advocates say the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals has worked relatively well. Still, many non-profits and even some school districts reported serious growing pains as they stretched to accommodate the avalanche of requests related to the application process.

The youth programme is open to immigrants between the ages of 15 and 32 who came to the United States before they turned 16 and live here illegally, haven't left the country since June 2007, and have had no felonies or serious misdemeanors. They must also have a high school diploma or equivalency, or be currently enrolled in school. A total of about 1.7 million people could be eligible for the programme.

The reprieve affects only a fraction of the estimated 11 million people in the country illegally who could be part of larger immigration reform legislation. However, because it's the first major immigration change in many years, experts see it as a template for a more comprehensive, and no doubt more complicated, overhaul.