Democrats, Republicans slam Trump's DACA decision as 'heartless'

Democrats and Republicans alike reacted Tuesday to the Trump administration's official announcement that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects individuals who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children, is being rescinded. "The president has revealed he is as heartless as he is uninformed," said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) while Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) added: "I strongly believe that children who were illegally brought into this country through no fault of their own should not be forced to return to a country they do not know."

John Cornyn (R-Texas) said that DREAMers — so named after the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act — "continue to make positive contributions to Texas and the nation," while Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) called it "simply wrong to needlessly target hardworking young adults in order to score political points."

Many other lawmakers and organizations went on record with criticism of the administration's decision:

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Javier Palomarez, the head of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, resigned from Trump's National Diversity Council in response to the administration's decision, CNN reports. "We're dealing with a president that gave his word, that promised that he would take care of these 800,000 young people," Palomarez said earlier Tuesday. "If he gets rid of DACA, he's showing that he is a liar."