'Up With Education, Down with Deportation!' Activists Rally in DC to Support DACA

WASHINGTON -- Disappointed over the lack of action by the White House and Congress over the long-term fate of DACA and immigration reform, Dreamers are focusing their energies on this year's elections and mobilizing through political action.

Hundreds converged on the nation's capital and marched holding red, white and blue balloons, American flags and signs reading "Defend Dreamers."

They chanted phrases such as, "Up, up with education; down, down with deportation" and "Shame on you, Donald Trump."

"We're not going to fold our arms; we're going to stand up and fight," vowed Jesus Perez, who came to the US from Mexico with his parents when he was 5. 

Perez, now a 25-year-old research assistant at Johns Hopkins University, was involved in the initial movement for DACA with former President Obama. 

DACA stands for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. It was an American immigration policy that allowed some individuals who were either brought to the US as minors or remained in the country illegally to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation.

Monday was supposed to be the day that DACA ended.

But court rulings have blocked President Trump from phasing out the program – at least for now – and negotiations have stalled out in Congress.

The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups also launched a national TV ad campaign over the weekend, opening with one of President Trump's past promises: "We're going to deal with DACA with heart because I love these kids."

Some news outlets are reporting Dreamers could start losing their status this week as a result of backlogs in processing DACA renewals and applications, according to data from Citizenship and Immigration Services provided by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

But CBN News checked with Homeland Security, which says "United States Citizenship and Immigration Services is processing applications as they are submitted."