CHICAGO, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of people rallied at downtown Chicago Tuesday afternoon to protest against the Trump administration's decision to end a policy aimed at protecting immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Tuesday the decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA, an Obama-era program to protect immigrants who were illegally brought to the U.S. as children.
The protesters gathered at Federal plaza and then marched south to Chicago's federal immigration services headquarters with the streets closed for a time as police redirected traffic.
Several speakers on behalf of the organizers addressed the crowd during the rally. Angelica Magana, a Chicago-based kindergarten teacher, called on Illinois Congress members to draft replacement legislation to protect current DACA recipients.
Former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn also participated in the rally, collecting term-limit signatures from the protesters. "I believe in the cause," he said to people around him.
Protesters carried signs reading "Keep DACA, deport racists," "Education not Deportation", "Resistance, Unity and Respect" and many wore shirts bearing the phrase "Protection for all."
No incidents of violence were reported during the protest.
Earlier in the day, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel declared that the third biggest city in America is a "Trump-free zone" for young immigrants who may face deportation after the U.S. administration decided to end the DACA program.
