NEW HAVEN -- In response to President Donald Trump's order to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Senator Richard Blumenthal held an 'emergency field hearing' on the impact of immigration policies on DREAMers and their families, in particular, regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program.
The unsanctioned field hearing was held inside the First and Summerfield Church in New Haven Monday morning.
The church is providing sanctuary for Marco Reyes of Meriden. Reyes was ordered deported on August 8th. His daughter, Evelyn, is a DACA recipient who now faces her own threat of deportation and spoke alongside her father.
"It's been really hard on the family," said Evelyn. "Then recently when the news came out about DACA coming to an end it made me worried because I, myself, and my brother, we are DACA recipients."
Derby father Luis Barrios and his daughter Jessica will also testify regarding their family's deportation battle.
Blumenthal will gather testimony and bring that information back to Washington as he leads an effort to help pass a Dream Act and comprehensive immigration reform.
Nearly 800,000 immigrants are being affected by this latest decision to end the DACA program, which is expected to happen in six months.
"They've been promised that if they came forward, played by the rules, continued working, paying taxes, studying, they would be safe," said Blumenthal at the conclusion of the meeting. "America, a great nation, keeps its promises."
