Hundreds of Protesters March on Trump Tower in Support of DACA

Broadly spoke to women Dreamers and their allies about Trump's decision to end the DACA program that's helped 800,000 immigrants so far.

by Linda Yang

September 5, 2017, 8:50pm

In a long-feared move, President Donald Trump announced the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program on Tuesday morning. Created through an executive order by then President Obama in 2012, DACA protects undocumented immigrants—also known as Dreamers—who came to the United States as children, granting a renewable two-year period of deferred deportation and eligibility to work.

"It's not easy to qualify for DACA," Dreamer Diana Ordonez told Broadly. "You can't have a record, I have to renew my status every couple years, I have to give the government my biometrics. They know everything about me. I had to trust the system." Since its implementation, DACA has helped almost 800,000 young people receive work eligibility and protected them from being to deported to countries many of them have never known.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo tweeted on Monday that if DACA was rescinded, New York state would sue Trump, stating, "We will not stand by as 42,000 NYers are deported." Today, hundreds of Dreamers and their allies gathered outside of Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan to "win permanent protection, dignity, and respect for all 11 million undocumented immigrants," and Broadly asked women at the rally to share how Trump's decision to rescind DACA affects them.

Christina Orta (R): I have friends and family that are affected. I have two cousins who are affected by Trump's decision on DACA. I need to be here. That's the only thing we can really do.

Carla: It's just unfair. They're taking away an opportunity that they already gave to people. This is what's happening, they're taking it away. Jobs, education, our dreams.

Diana Ordonez: I, myself, am a DACA recipient, I also know a lot of DACA recipients. We're going to stand up for our rights. We can't sit quietly on the sidelines. DACA, as a program, is something from the beginning that we had to fight for.

As good as the Obama administration was compared to the Trump administration, it wasn't something they just decided to give to us. It was young immigrants that fought for it. It was us who committed civil disobedience. Today we are fighting for DACA. We can't go back to where we were.

Suzanne: I find that a lot of young people don't understand what "Good German" means. But older people seem to get it. But it's because Hitler targeted the most disenfranchised people. And people just let it slide and then it escalated to millions being murdered. I see there's a parallel that's happening now with Trump, people need to act. Like with rescinding DACA, you can't come after babies.

The "Good Germans" are sitting in a restaurant, a "Good German" is going to work. And I am not a "Good German." I hope everyone on this street are all enjoying their meal. I can't do it every day but I get a lot of thumbs up, see these older folks here.

Sonia: I live in Philadelphia. But I took a bus here this morning because I'm undocumented. This was obviously important. Not just for what is happening with DACA but I think people are starting to recognize that this is about the 11 million undocumented in this country, to say that they deserve the respect that anybody else gets.