Folks gathered this afternoon in downtown Albuquerque to urge Congress to continue protections for people who were brought to the U.S. as children illegally.
People chanted while dancing and waving bright orange signs in Civic Plaza.
Isaac De Luna said people’s lives are at stake and there needs to be a permanent solution. He’s with the state’s Dream Team, an immigrants advocacy group.
“If we don’t get a compromise in Congress for New Mexico it means that there’s seven thousand people who will be left stranded in this horrendous political climate that is obviously anti-immigration and truly racist,” De Luna said.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) allows recipients to stay and work legally in the country temporarily.
President Trump has been inconsistent on his stance towards the program but his administration said as of March 5, there will no be no more renewals for expiring DACA protections.
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KUNM’s Public Health New Mexico project is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the McCune Charitable Foundation.