NASHVILLE - Hundreds of students crammed into the chapel at Lipscomb University Thursday for a special service, sitting in the aisles or standing and peering in from a hallway outside.

They were there to talk about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, which for the last several years has allowed immigrants without legal status who were brought into the U.S. as children to remain in the country to study and work, as long as they don't have a criminal background or pose a threat to security.

One by one, three DACA recipients came to the center of the room, in front of a stained glass window, to tell their stories.

Luis Vargas, a senior majoring in civil engineering, told his classmates how he came to the U.S. from Mexico at age 2 and overstayed his visa.

Vargas started working on construction sites at a young age, and wanted to put his skills, along with his aptitude for math, to work on the other side of construction as an engineer.

Having DACA made pursuing a job in that field seem possible, but it also meant he could drive his mom to the doctor or pick up his sister from school without facing the specter of deportation.

'Adulting without DACA'

“It’s pretty much everything so far,” Vargas said. “If you think adulting is hard, adulting without DACA is damn near impossible.”

The service at the university chapel was organized this week in response to President Donald Trump's decision to repeal the DACA program if Congress does not act otherwise within six months.

It's also an example of how religious colleges and universities across Tennessee have taken a lead on advocating for the DACA program and helping to support affected students.

In the days since Trump's announcement, both public and private colleges around the country have cited their commitment to diversity and inclusivity, and the impact immigrants have had on research and innovation, in voicing their support for DACA.

But in Tennessee, religious institutions in particular have taken on an active role in advocating for the program.

"The Bible says, protect the innocent, have mercy, care for the vulnerable," said Shirley Hoogstra, president of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, which represents more than 140 Christian schools around the U.S., including seven in Tennessee. "It’s just sort of a natural outgrowth that some of our schools would be very involved in the immigration issue."

Public universities more limited in response?

It is estimated that of the nearly 800,000 DACA recipients, also known as "dreamers," more than 8,000 of them are living in Tennessee, according to a memo this week from Maryville College President Tom Bogart.

A handful of DACA students are enrolled at Maryville, which is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, though the college would not say exactly how many.

"As of this morning, we are unclear about President Trump’s decision and its implications, but we are very clear about the College’s position: We believe ending the DACA program would have a negative impact on our campus community, and if a decision is made to rescind DACA, we will advocate for a reversal," Bogart said Tuesday.

The college is hosting a seminar next week on college access for Hispanic students, including those who may be undocumented, but it's also an issue that they work on year-round, said Crystal Colter, an associate professor of psychology.

"I definitely feel like people at some public universities are much more limited in what they can do, and sometimes, even directly held back from service and justice type issues," Colter said. "I feel incredibly supported when the president puts out a memo about our values and supporting our students and is courageous to do that."

The college was among several this week that responded to the news about DACA with either public statements or messages to their campus communities.

"As the granddaughter of immigrants who came to this country seeking freedom from religious persecution and as someone who thus had the good fortune to be born an American citizen, I send prayers for strength and safety to all those affected by the loss of the protections DACA provided," wrote Marjorie Hess, president of Rhodes College, also affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, in a message to the campus.

Others including Belmont University and Trevecca Nazarene University, have also weighed in with statements that invoked their religious missions and strong language pleading on behalf of the program.

Response from UT system more tempered

Reaction from the state's public university system has been more tempered. In response to a request from the USA TODAY Network - Tennessee, University of Tennessee President Joe DiPietro said only that more clarity is needed around provisions related to DACA.

“In response to Tuesday’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice to rescind DACA, our hope is that Congress will bring greater clarity to provisions related to DACA," DiPietro said in a prepared statement. "Removing uncertainty for those students currently in the United States as a result of DACA should be a priority."

A spokeswoman for UT's flagship Knoxville campus deferred comment to the system and as of Thursday no public statements or comments had been made by Knoxville Chancellor Beverly Davenport.

Other public universities in Tennessee have weighed in, such as Middle Tennessee State University, where President Sidney A. McPhee sent an email to the campus community expressing "considerable and understandable concern" and pledging support for all students.

At Vanderbilt University, a private non-religious school, Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos said that "ending DACA is a mistake" while other administrators sent letters to students and faculty directing them to resources for help.

But Hoogstra said she thinks the issue is one that particularly resonates with Christian schools. "The foundation out of which our education arises also looks to biblical or moral teachings to guide it," she said. "The Bible is a book replete with suggestions, commands and imperatives to be there for the vulnerable."

DACA recipients are 'your fellow classmates'

At Maryville and Lipscomb, officials also talked about various efforts to make college more accessible for undocumented students, who often are unable to benefit from in-state tuition or programs such as the state's Tennessee Promise, which provides access to five semesters of free community college.

Lisa Steele, assistant dean of intercultural development at Lipscomb, said she organized the chapel service Thursday to humanize a hot-button issue.

DACA recipients, she told the crowd, are “your fellow classmates and friends.

“They look a lot like you do,” she said. “They look like students.”

Before the service was over, Steele gave the students ideas about how they could act to save DACA: calling lawmakers daily, joining student groups considering different forms of activism.

Afterward, Vargas said he appreciated the fact that his university was standing by him and forcefully defending DACA.

“If Lipscomb didn’t do it, Trevecca didn’t do it, if 50 universities across the state didn’t do it, then there would be no support,” he said. “It takes a snowflake to start an avalanche.”