New York Times quotes the Director of the USCIS “We are under way
to prepare for [giving legal status to millions of illegal
immigrants]“. The NY Times article further quotes the USCIS Director
“Mr. Obama has told immigration officials that a legalization program
would be part of legislation the White House would propose”.
There are no official estimates of the number of illegal immigrants
who would apply for legal documents. The Pew Hispanic Center and the
Center for Immigration Studies, two research groups in Washington,
estimate that at least 10.8 million illegal immigrants live in this
country. But a large number of those would not be eligible for legal
status for many reasons, including past immigration violations.