CHICAGO – Thousands of young immigrants lined up Wednesday at Navy Pier for guidance with a new federal program that would help them avoid deportation, and the crowd was so large that workshop organizers had to turn some of them away.

At least 13,000 people showed up for help in putting together identity documents and filling out the detailed forms on the first day that the federal government began accepting applications, which far exceeded what organizers could handle.

"Navy Pier is today's Ellis Island, and while they saw New York City, today they see Chicago," U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez said. "But the most important thing is they see America. They see a place where there is a bright future for them."