Today, August 15, 2013 marks the one year anniversary of the day USCIS officially began accepting applications for its Deferred Action (DACA) program. What have we learned since then about this unprecedented executive order issued to protect young undocumented immigrants?

When the program launched last August, no one was certain of the risks of applying to this new and untested program. Many applicants were extremely fearful of possible deportations or consequences for family members. Others weren't satisfied with the program because it wasn't as comprehensive as the failed DREAM Act.

What We Now Know About Deferred Action

Ask any DACA-mented DREAMer, immigration-focused nonprofit, or immigration attorney and they will agree that Deferred Action was an incredible and occasionally frustrating learning experience. What we all now know:

• We learned that lack of access to educational programs like the GED made hundreds of thousands of DREAMers ineligible for the program.
• We learned that some parts of the application requirements can be tricky to prove, but that applicants could get creative with their evidence.
• We learned that the more complex Deferred Action cases with criminal background or continuous residency issues required the assistance of a reliable attorney.
• We learned that USCIS's estimated application process times were no guarantee, and some applicants spend up to six months or more in Deferred Action processing limbo.
• We learned that applicants need to be aware of notario fraud and immigration scams that take their money and leave them with heartbreak and increased risk of deportation.

Where Are the DACA-mented DREAMers Today?

Since last summer, we have listened to and read about the success stories of DREAMers who applied to Deferred Action. Despite many DREAMers' limited finances, lack of access to information, and personal doubts and fears, hundreds of thousands of undocumented youth have applied to Deferred Action and are now pursuing their dreams. DREAMers are attending college (with access to in-state tuition rates in some states), using their work permit and Social Security number to make money and reach professional goals, and much more.

However, recently released Deferred Action application statistics (and today's monthly DACA report from USCIS) have shown that the program hasn't served young undocumented immigrants as effectively as originally hoped. Here's a brief summary of the year in DACA:

• Only about half (573,000) of the estimated 1.1 million currently eligible for DACA have applied, making the national application rate roughly 50%.
• 75% of the DACA applications received have been approved, about 1% were rejected, and the rest are pending.
• 75% of applicants have been in the U.S. for at least 10 years, with more applicants entering in 2000 than any other year.
• 33% of applicants were five or younger when they arrived in the U.S.
• 39% (423,000) of the 1.1 million potentially eligible for DACA are currently disqualified for not meeting the education requirement.
• 392,000 more young immigrants will become eligible for DACA once they reach the age requirement of 15 and stay enrolled in an educational program.
• Mexican and Central American immigrants make up 65% of the DACA-eligible population but accounted for 85% of DACA applicants.
• Immigrants from Asian countries such as the Philippines and China have some of the lowest application rates despite having substantial undocumented populations.
• 60% of those eligible speak both English and a second language "very well.
• 33% of the DACA-eligible live in households at or below the federal poverty level ($22,000/year for a family of 4.) Most of those who are technically above the poverty level still face extreme financial hardship.

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