Despite the clear signals that President Donald Trump would drop the axe on a program that protects unauthorized immigrant young adults from deportation, the announcement by Attorney General Jeff Sessions provoked an immediate and passionate backlash from the 800,000 young immigrants who benefited from the program, as well as their supporters.
Across the U.S., people were outraged as they heard the attorney general – scarcely able to conceal his joy over the cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA – announce that revoking the rights of qualifying migrant youths was the “compassionate thing to do.”
In Washington, D.C., protesters poured out in front of the White House to defend DACA and voice their outrage over the cancellation of the program, while in Manhattan, New York, several were arrested after locking arms to block traffic in front of Trump Tower. Protests continued to unfold across the country late into the night.