On Sept. 5, President Donald Trump officially announced he will rescind the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. The executive action was signed by Barack Obama in 2012 and temporarily granted children of illegal immigrants immunity from deportation.

The decision has been met with controversy as many Americans viewed the repeal as unjust. Because of the revocation of the program, over 800,000 people are at risk of deportation after its expiration date, in March 2018.

A vast majority of Americans have questioned the constitutional nature of the bill, as it was enacted directly by the former president without consultation of congress. Others like Jennifer Lopez, 12, believe the bill was constitutional as it was difficult for Obama to pass any legislation related to immigration prior to DACA.

“I think the Obama administration brought forth the program out of frustration with Congress because he couldn’t pass anything on immigration reform,” Lopez said. “I understand that some deem it unconstitutional because people came here illegally but the program isn’t amnesty for those in it.”

Some students, like Luben Mitrachkov, 12, feel the repeal of DACA could benefit the United States in terms of immigration policy. However, they believe the cancellation of the program will negatively impact people who arrived to the country as children and are completely unfamiliar with their birth country.

“I understand why it’s being done, but at the same time it’s unfair to send back people who came here young and never experienced their country,” Mitrachkov said. “In the long run, it will be positive even though it is destructive in the immediate outcome.”

Others, like Alfredo Coronado, 12, agree with Trump’s repeal of DACA as it represents Trump’s effort to make the immigration policy equally apply to all arriving into the country.

“I feel like the program has been encouraging other people to make the journey whether or not if it is safe to come here illegally,” Coronado said. “People should do the correct thing and try to come here legally by going through the process of doing it.”

Since Trump has left the decision of legalizing DACA up to Congress, the fate of the bill is still unclear. However, Trump has since implied the possibility of giving current DACA recipients amnesty through his social media as “they have been in our country for many years through no fault of their own.”