President Trump’s decision to rescind a program that shields young immigrants from deportation sparked protests outside of the White House and Trump Tower in Manhattan on Tuesday.
Hundreds of people took to the streets of Washington, D.C., after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy will be phased out. The Obama-era program has protected about 800,000 undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country illegally by their parents from deportation and given them the opportunity to obtain work permits.
Washington Post reporter Perry Stein said protesters demonstrating against the DACA reversal blocked a busy intersection in Washington, D.C., in front of the Justice Department, where Sessions announced the president’s decision.
{mosads}CNN reporter Jeremy Diamond captured the growing and chanting crowds that have collected near the White House to protest the decision.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez joined in, speaking out against the controversial decision.
Video of Tom Perez speech at DACA protest pic.twitter.com/ke2VAB6myo
— Perry Stein (@PerryStein) September 5, 2017
BuzzFeed reporter Cora Lewis said police in New York were attempting to “move remaining protesters out of streets at the DACA protests outside Trump Tower,” with people chanting, “Whose streets? Our streets.”
Mic reporter Andrew Joyce reported that protesters linked arms and blocked the street in front of Trump Tower.
The Trump administration said it would give Congress six months to act on DACA recipients.