A small group of protesters gathered outside Los Angeles City Hall Tuesday triggered by President Donald Trump’s announcement that he will end DACA — the Deferred
Action for Childhood Arrivals program. A larger protest is expected later in the day.

The dozens of protesters were from different organizations, including the Service Employees International Union and the California Immigrant Policy Center. The group gathered in front of City Hall before marching to the Hall of Justice and the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building.

Democratic elected officials are ripping the decision to end the program as a cruel and heartless maneuver that threatens to tear families apart. Local education officials are trying to re-assure DACA recipients that they are still welcome on school and university campuses and will still be allowed to continue working toward graduation.

“We are simply outraged by the decision coming down from the Trump administration to rescind DACA and expose hundreds of thousands of youth and undocumented adults to deportation,” said Carlos Amador, organizing director for the California Immigrant Policy Center.

Ivan Caja, who is one of the estimated 800,000 recipients of DACA protection nationwide and 200,000 in California, said he was brought to the United States when he was 9 months old, and he is now 25.

“I feel frustrated, like when is it going to end, the constant attacks and pulling at us like we are pawns?” said Caja, who is also a co-founder of the nonprofit UndocuMedia. “This was just a reminder of how little respect they have. They acknowledge that we are a big part of the work force, whether they exploit us or not, but then to go and take away a program that wasn’t doing any harm, it felt like a big slap in the face.”

KCET