Thousands of migrants subjected to the policy will be allowed to live and work in the U.S., at least temporarily. If they win asylum, they could become citizens.
Undocumented immigrants accused of minor crimes are often sent back to their homelands. Danelo Cavalcante, who escaped from a U.S. prison, had been facing a murder charge in Brazil.
Some survivors have been detained by the police, while politicians have lashed out at the newcomers as scapegoats for intractable problems like crime, joblessness and a housing shortage.