Story highlights The Trump administration will give Congress six months to pass legislation

"The Department of Justice cannot defend this overreach," Sessions said

(CNN) For many college students, Tuesday marked the start of a new semester of classes. For those students protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, it also ushered in an uncertain future about their status in the United States.

In the wake of the Trump administration's decision to rescind DACA, leaders from some of the nation's top higher education institutions have come forward to slam the decision -- and to assure their undocumented students that they will be protected on campus.

President Donald Trump's alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, condemned the decision in a statement from President Amy Gutmann, saying "this is a heartbreaking day for our country."

"President Trump's decision to repeal the DACA program threatens hundreds of thousands of young people who were raised in America, love this country and are an integral part of the American Dream," Gutmann said in the statement.

Under the DACA program, nearly 800,000 undocumented young people brought to the US as children were shielded from immediate deportation and given the opportunity to work or attend school.

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