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We're 'Under Attack': Chicago 'Dreamers' Protest Trump's Plan To End DACA

By Ariel Cheung | September 4, 2017 11:45am | Updated on September 5, 2017 8:24am
 Anel Sancen (left) and her son Rogelio, 9, hold signs near the corner of Belmont and Milwaukee avenues, where activists protested activity from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in 2016.
Anel Sancen (left) and her son Rogelio, 9, hold signs near the corner of Belmont and Milwaukee avenues, where activists protested activity from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in 2016.
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DNAinfo/Ariel Cheung

CHICAGO — Chicagoans will rally Tuesday in response to an expected announcement that President Donald Trump will end a program that grants work permits to undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as children.

Starting at 5:30 p.m., impacted people and immigration activists will speak at Federal Plaza, 230 S. Dearborn St., about how Trump's action will impact the almost 800,000 people known as "Dreamers" who have benefited from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

"While we do not know the specifics of the announcement, we recognize that the undocumented immigrant community is under attack, and we must organize to defend it," wrote the event organizers.

On Monday, Politico reported that Trump will end the program, but delay enforcing deportations for six months. 

Organizations to gather Tuesday include PASO West Suburban Action Project and the Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights. Find out more about the event on its Facebook page.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel spoke out against the president's plans on Friday, suggesting he "spend less time tearing down President Obama's agenda and building [his] own."

RELATED: Rahm To Trump: Leave 'Dreamers' Alone, Build Your Own Agenda

Emanuel said it was unconscionable for the Trump administration to consider "going after" people who were brought here as children without permission by their parents.

Speaking to reporters in from the Oval Office, the president said he would announce a decision on the program's fate before Tuesday, the deadline set by 10 states which have threatened to sue the federal government over the program.

Through March, approximately 787,580 people received permits to live and work in the United States as part of the DACA program since it was established in 2012.

In Chicago, Emanuel has repeatedly clashed with Trump on the issue of immigration and urged the president to continue the DACA program.

The city's website refers to a study by the progressive think tank the Center for American Progress concluding that ending DACA would force 36,867 Illinoisans out of the state economy at an annual cost of $2.2 billion from the national Gross Domestic Product.

"Chicago will always be a welcoming city," Emanuel said, adding that the city will continue to offer free tuition at the City Colleges of Chicago to any graduate of the Chicago Public Schools with a B average.

According to the Center for American Progress, ending DACA would result in a loss of $460.3 billion from the national Gross Domestic Product during the next decade and force an estimated 685,000 workers out of the nation’s economy.

Heather Cherone and Sam Cholke contributed to this report.