Picture emerges of 'dreamer' immigrants who arrived young

Supporters call them "dreamers" - undocumented immigrants brought by their parents to America as children, who hope to take advantage of an amnesty program offered by the Obama administration.

A study released Wednesday by the Brookings Institution reveals that two out of three were younger than 10 when they came; three out of four were born in Mexico; and 60 percent entered "without inspection," which means they crossed the border secretly. Eleven percent came on visas and overstayed.

An estimated one million undocumented immigrants are eligible for protection from deportation, and renewable work permits, under the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which marks the end of its first year Thursday.

Of 465,509 DACA applicants nationwide through the study's March 22 cutoff date, 57 percent were approved to work legally, subject to renewing their permits every two years.

Of 3,369 applicants in Pennsylvania, 63 percent were approved; 59 percent of New Jersey's 14,273 applicants won approval.

Immigrants are generally eligible if they were younger than 16 when they came, are younger than 31 now, and have a clean criminal record and a high school diploma.

In Pennsylvania, the top three places of origin, according to the Brookings study, were Mexico, South America, and Asia. In New Jersey, they were Mexico, South America, and Central America.

Using data obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request, the Brookings study is the first comprehensive analysis of DACA applications. Other studies have used projections.

"In some ways, DACA is a dress rehearsal for a broader legalization program" if Congress were to pass immigration reform, said the study's principal author, Audrey Singer, who attended Lower Merion High School and Temple University and got a doctorate in sociology, with a specialization in demography, from the University of Texas at Austin.

The Brookings analysis, which Singer coauthored with Nicole Prchal Svajlenka, "gives a snapshot composition" of the dreamers, which can be useful in the debate as Congress tackles immigration reform, Singer said.

While the vast majority of applicants nationwide were born in Mexico, an additional 25 countries each accounted for at least 1,000 applicants. Together with Mexico, they made up 96 percent of all applications.

Of particular note, the authors said, is an apparent underrepresentation of Asian immigrants relative to their concentration among eligible dreamers.

Lawyer Dave Bennion, a member of Philadelphia's Deferred Action Network, an immigrant-advocacy group, has represented DACA-eligible youth, including Asian applicants.

In his experience, he said, Asians are "a bit more fearful" than Latino groups "about the stigma of being undocumented," which might account for the underrepresentation.

In addition, he said, Latino groups have tended to benefit from "more effective outreach" into their communities because of the large number of Spanish-language news outlets.