US starts Pentagon: Israel still processing undecided on Iran hit illegal migrants

WASHINGTON—The Obama administration on Tuesday directed young illegal immigrants to fill out new forms and pay $465 if they want to apply under a new program that would let them avoid deportation and obtain a US work permit.

The government renewed warnings that the process would not lead to citizenship or give them permission to travel internationally. It will begin accepting immigrants’ applications on Wednesday.

The announcement came just months before what is shaping up to be a tight contest for the White House.

Seeking reelection, President Barack Obama has come under fire by Hispanic voters and others who have say he has not fulfilled a previous campaign promise to reform the nation’s immigration laws. The policy change could stop deportations for more than a million young illegal immigrants.

The paperwork for the program, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, can be downloaded from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services website, said the agency’s director, Alejandro Mayorkas. Applicants must pay a $465 fee and provide proof of identity and eligibility.

Under guidelines that the administration announced on Tuesday, the agency said proof of identity and eligibility under the program could include a passport or birth certificate, school transcripts, medical and financial records and military service records. The Department of Homeland/Security said that in some instances, multiple sworn affidavits, signed by a third party under penalty of perjury, could also be used.

With the start of the program nearing, immigrants have been working on getting their paperwork in order. WASHINGTON—The United States does not believe Israel has made a decision on whether to attack Iran over its nuclear program, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Tuesday, following sharp rhetoric from Israeli officials that has put financial markets on edge.

Panetta, who visited Israel two weeks ago, told reporters at the Pentagon it was important that military action be the “last resort” and said there was still time for sanctions and diplomatic pressure to work.

That contrasts with Israeli warnings in recent days about the possibility of a strike. Israel’s envoy to Washington, Michael Oren, said on Monday in a CNN interview that the window of time before the need to resort to military action was “small and the window is getting smaller.” He acknowledged that Israel’s clock was ticking faster than Washington’s.

Asked about comments by Israeli officials, Panetta said: “I don’t believe they’ve made a decision as to whether or not they will go in and attack Iran at this time.” “With regards to the issue of where we’re at from a diplomatic point of view, the reality is that we still think there is room to continue to negotiate,” he said.

Tehran says its nuclear ambitions are peaceful and has threatened wide-ranging reprisals if attacked. Amuscular response from Tehran would increase the likelihood that the United States would be drawn into any conflict.

Israel’s financial markets fell sharply on Monday in response to the intensifying debate on the prospect of going to war with Iran, although some of those losses were recovered on Tuesday.

General Martin Dempsey, the chair of the US military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, cautioned that any Israeli strike would not destroy Iran’s nuclear program, only delay its work.

“I may not know about all of their capabilities but I think that it’s a fair characterization to say that they could delay but not destroy Iran’s nuclear capabili- ties,” he said.

US officials have stressed that Washington could deal a decisive blow to Iran’s nuclear sites, if necessary, and will not allow Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon. It’s unclear whether those assurances will be enough to forestall Israeli action.

For Israel to carry out a longthreatened strike on Iranian nuclear sites, it would have to overcome dissent within its governing coalition that reflects public fear of igniting an unprecedented missile war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that scenario would be “dwarfed” by the prospect of an Iranian bomb, which he describes as tantamount to a second Holocaust - language that seems to herald a Jewish call to arms.

But the popular, conservative leader has not proven very persuasive. While surveys show a growing minority—now 32 to 35 percent—of Israelis favor taking Iran on alone, more are opposed. Around a quarter are undecided.