'It's Evil': Dreamers Frightened By Trump's Anti-DACA Move
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Protesters in Minnesota are expressing their outrage Tuesday at President Trump's decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, or DACA.
Top legislators and activists also held a news conference at the Minnesota State Capitol to demand that Minnesota members of Congress take a stand against Trump.
"Ending DACA today will affect nearly 800,000 young people, more than 6,300 who reside and work in our state of Minnesota," said State Senator Melisa Franzen of Edina.
Among those speaking at the Capitol was 26-year-old Catalina Morales, a DACA recipient who was brought to the United States at the age of 2 by relatives.
"Thanks to DACA I started college last year," Morales said.
Both her sisters are also DACA recipients.
"I think the reaction right now is a lot of fear," she said.
We spoke to Morales at the offices of ISAIAH, where she works helping other immigrants. Now she wonders what will happen to her, her sisters and other DACA recipients.
Read More: A Reality Check On DACA's Minnesota Impact
"This is not what we deserve as a community, this is not what I deserve," Morales said. "I've been here all my life, I have given to this country all I can."
Morales says she is hoping Congress acts to block the president's rollback of DACA. And she is frustrated with Trump, who in the past indicated he was sympathetic to the "Dreamers."
"DACA recipients are becoming doctors, they're becoming lawyers, they, you know, have a life here, and they've had a life for a long time, so I don't see any good of this," she said. "It's evil."
Minnesota Democratic members of congress are expressing their anger with the president's decision.
Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, along with Representatives Tim Walz, Keith Ellison and Betty McCollum are condemning Trump's action.
The chair of Minnesota's Republican Party, as well as Congressmen Tom Emmer and Jason Lewis released statements Tuesday supporting Trump's move.
But Republican Congressman Erik Paulsen broke with Minnesota members of his party, releasing this statement: "Our broken immigration system needs to be fixed, because it's harming our economy and locking out the next generation of innovators. This includes ensuring that young people who came to the United States through no fault of their own and have done nothing wrong are able to be valuable contributors to our country."
