Oakland protest of Trump’s DACA decision draws hundreds

Hundreds of demonstrators fill Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in downtown Oakland to protest President Trump’s decision to phase out an executive order that had protected from deportation many young adults who were brought to the U.S. by their undocumented parents. less Hundreds of demonstrators fill Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in downtown Oakland to protest President Trump’s decision to phase out an executive order that had protected from deportation many young adults who were ... more Image 1 of / 10 Caption Close Oakland protest of Trump’s DACA decision draws hundreds 1 / 10 Back to Gallery

Hundreds of rally-goers packed Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland on Saturday to protest the Trump administration’s decision last week to end the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Oakland police watched from the perimeter of the small park, as throngs of protesters streamed in throughout the afternoon, hoisting signs reading, “no ban, no raids, no wall,” and cycling through a number of call-and-response chants opposing the abrupt end to DACA, and calling for “sanctuary for all.”

The rally was organized by Lucy Siale of Concord, who said she is enraged by what she sees as an initially anemic public response to the federal government’s abrupt decision to end DACA, which extended a variety of protections to young people who may have been brought into the country illegally as children.

About 800,000 people have been granted approval to attend school and work in the United States legally and without the looming threat of deportation since the program began in 2012 under an executive order signed by then-President Barack Obama. Many of those who have taken advantage of DACA’s protections say they fear being deported back to places they have little connection to, after living in this country for most of their lives.

Siale said she convened the rally to “attack the decision (to end DACA) and attack the ignorance” about the decision.

Just before 4 p.m., protesters left Ogawa Plaza and began marching on Broadway, prompting police to block traffic on the street. No arrests were made, and police officials said the march had been anticipated.

“We want to show people here under DACA that we’re here for them and that they have support,” she said.

Lucy Limon of Pittsburg stood among the crowd holding a sign reading, “I’m one of the 800,000.” Limon, now 23 years old, came to the United States with her family from Jalisco, Mexico, as an immigrant without authorization when she was 5 years old and has taken advantage of the protections offered under DACA.

The swirling uncertainty surrounding the future of DACA and the future of her family to stay together has caused “a lot of hurt and confusion and a feeling that this is not fair,” Limon said. She said she and her family scour news reports daily as they make tentative plans for the future, hoping to stay together any way they can.

The rally’s overt themes of solidarity with the Bay Area’s immigrant community, she said, was encouraging.

“It’s people coming together for what’s right and what’s good, and that feels good,” she said.

The Trump administration said Tuesday that it would not process new DACA applications and that the Justice Department would not defend the program against possible legal challenges, characterizing it as an overreach of executive authority.

The future of the program is now in the hands of Congress, which has six months to craft legislation to continue the program, or some version of it. No one’s DACA status will be revoked for the next six months, the administration said.

Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DominicFracassa