By: Rachel Leven   Starting this week, illegal immigrants who
came to the US before the age of 16 are allowed to apply for a
two-year deferred action, a reprieve from the watchful eyes of
the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office.  Like all things
immigration, Obama’s executive order was met with immediate and
heavy opposition. Both sides were looking warily at the office
of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as the
order took full effect on Wednesday.  House Republican Lamar
Smith, among others, charges that the program will raise
expenses for USCIS and create a backlog for all other
immigration applications. However, the overall budget for U.S.
Citizenship activities is largely self-funded, through fees paid
by immigrants. Deferral applicants will be asked to pay standard
processing fees–$380, the same amount charged for an employment
authorization application, and $85 for the biometric check. It
remains to be seen whether the program will in fact cost more
than the standard immigration