What they’re saying:
Reactions across the nation to President Trump’s decision to end program protecting immigrants.
“I do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents. But we must also recognize that we are a nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.” — President Trump
“President Trump’s decision to end DACA is a deeply shameful act of political cowardice and a despicable assault on innocent young people in communities across America.”
— House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco “To have a lawful system of immigration that serves the national interest, we cannot admit everyone who would like to come here. That is an open border policy, and the American people have rightly rejected it.” — Attorney General Jeff Sessions
“Let’s be clear: The action taken today isn’t required legally. It’s a political decision, and a moral question. Whatever concerns or complaints Americans may have about immigration in general, we shouldn’t threaten the future of this group of young people who are here through no fault of their own, who pose no threat, who are not taking away anything from the rest of us.”
— Former President Barack Obama “President Trump is once again demonstrating that he is unfit to hold office.” — State Sen. Ben Hueso, D-San Diego, chair, California Latino Legislative Caucus
“DACA eliminated, Nazis coddled, racist pardoned, transgender troops banned. We must stand up for our American values.”
— Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom “However much we may sympathize with the hundreds of thousands of these children, many of whom have reached adulthood and have become ‘Americanized,’ we in Congress must work to prevent such cynical loopholes from being created again by executive fiat. I applaud President Trump and Attorney General Sessions as they restore rigorous constitutional standards to the vexing issue of illegal immigration.” — Rep. Dana Rohrbacher, R-Costa Mesa (Orange County)
“The consequences of this decision will be devastating. It will split up families, force young people back to countries they never knew, and cost our economy billions of dollars. It is heartless.”
— U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California “I’m eager to get to work on a permanent fix and call on Democrats and Republicans alike to immediately put political posturing aside.” — Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista (San Diego County)
“Dreamers are our neighbors, our friends and our co-workers. This is their home. Congress needs to act now to #DefendDACA.”
— Sundar Pichai, Google CEO “The cancellation of the DACA program is reprehensible.” — United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
“President Trump took a first step today toward cleaning up the mess that President Obama's unlawful amnesty left behind.”
— Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas “We’ll hold President Trump accountable and others who have made today a dark day in our nation’s history.” — Lorella Praeli, ACLU director of immigration policy and campaigns
“I’m disappointed in this decision by the Trump administration. In my view it’s wrong as a matter of law and its wrong as a matter of our values.”
— Janet Napolitano, University of California president