Hundreds of students protest DACA decision in Denver

Hundreds of students in Denver walked out of their classes Tuesday to protest President Trump’s decision to end the program that has shielded many young immigrants from deportation.

Shortly after Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions publicly announced the administration’s plan, students poured out of their classes. Some carried signs urging lawmakers, “Defend DACA.”

The students, along with other supporters of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, gathered on the Auraria Campus — the location of three different colleges in the city’s downtown.

Similar protests are expected to take place across Southern California.

Nationally, nearly 800,000 young people have benefited from the DACA program. Of those, about 17,000 live in Colorado, according to the Denver Post.

The president has called on Congress to replace the program, which was created by President Obama. Legislators have until March 5, 2018, to act before the policy expires.