“I’m going to fight like hell and will do everything in my power to stand up for you and your families,” U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy told a room full of young people in Fair Haven who fear an incoming president may kick them out of the country. “You are American and you are a part of the fabric of this country.”

Murphy made that promise Sunday to more than 20 young so-called “DREAMers”, immigrants who came here as children and are pursuing their educations. They currently hold authorization to legally stay in the United States through the Deferred Action Childhood Arrival (DACA) program.

Under President Barack Obama’s executive order, people who entered the U.S. as undocumented children, upon meeting certain conditions, could receive a work permit and a two-year period of deferral from deportation.

Now, with President-Elect Donald Trump promising to crack down on illegal immigration, many of the people who met at the Junta for Progressive Action office on Grand Avenue on Sunday were nervous about the future of DACA, and their futures in the U.S.

Could participation in the program have led to the creation of list of people to deport?

Murphy responded that lawyers are exploring this question. He said the worst-case scenario would be that by complying with the law, people made themselves targets for punishment.

“I still have a hard time believing Trump would go through with that,” he said. “The visual of ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] personnel rounding up people from their homes from that list would be an epic moral disaster for the country and an epic public relations disaster for Trump and the Republicans,”

Denia Perez (pictured), who entered the country from Mexico when she was 11 months old, is now 27. As a student at Quinnipiac Law School, she has DACA protection. “There is always a risk in sharing information,” she said. “Politically, it wouldn’t make sense to target DACA beneficiaries but it is a fear people have.”

At Sunday’s session, Murphy met with DACA beneficiaries and immigration reform activists including Connecticut Students for a Dream (C4D) co-founders Camila and Carolina Bortolleto, and Fair Haven Community Heath Center CEO Suzanne Lagarde at Junta. He said he wanted to listen to their concerns, provide his assessment of immigration reform and assure them of his commitment to their right to legally remain in the U.S.

Junta Executive Director Sandra Trevino and Advocacy Director Ana Maria Rivera-Forastieri said they fear that the federal government will cut funding from “sanctuary cities” like New Haven that protect undocumented residents from deportation. Trump promised to do that last fall on the campaign trail.

“In New Haven’s case, particularly because we have been for such a long time a welcoming city that really gives immigrants a dignified life, I think we will be a target,” said Rivera-Forastieri.

Murphy sits on the Senate’s Appropriations Committee, which establishes how money is disbursed through the federal budget. He vowed to be an advocate for New Haven in that fight, saying that Republicans in both houses have tried to cut funding from cities based on immigration policies. Even with the backing of Republican majorities, such legislation would still need Democratic votes, he said. Furthermore, as president, Donald Trump will still need a law to prevent cities from receiving funds. “He could not withdraw funds on his personal whim from cities that he determines to not be adequately complying with immigration laws,” Murphy said.

Murphy noted the Republicans in the House have resisted immigration reform. Opponents voice concerns that programs like DACA encourage illegal immigration. However, the Senate has historically shown bipartisan support for the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act, which although it repeatedly failed to become law, established elements of the criteria for DACA beneficiaries. He also said there has been bipartisan Senate support for pathways of DREAMers to become citizens.

Joseline Tlacomulcho, a DACA recipient, arrived in New Haven from Mexico when she was 8 months old. Now a 19-year-old studying political science and human rights at University of Connecticut, she asked whether educational institutions such as her college will be financially punished for protecting undocumented students from deportation.

Jose Diaz, also in the country legally through DACA, is a 24-year-old student at Central Connecticut State College. He came to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 10. People know that he is undocumented and his parents are undocumented. Diaz has witnessed an escalation of bullying of immigrants, even at the college level, and professors are not doing much about it, he said.

Several of the students said that the senator’s vocal and public support of them will help them feel more supported and protected in their classrooms, schools and the state which they now consider home.

“Very few worthwhile things are easy and involve no risk,” said Murphy. He urged the students to continue to mobilize for immigrant rights. Murphy said internally, within Congress, and when Trump becomes president, he will continue to work to have their voices heard. Externally, he will advocate for immigration reform through the news media and other communication channels, he said.

He said he plans to reprise his recent walk across the state to meet with constituents and invited the students to join him for part of his journey. He urged them to stay active at the local and state levels with leadership groups and to help eligible voters participate in mid-term elections.

Some residents do not want New Haven to serve as a sanctuary city for those who entered the U.S. in violation of immigration laws. As one example, on WNHH’s “Dateline New Haven” program, Reverend Boise Kimber has objected to what he perceives as “special advantages” given to undocumented immigrants. However, Rivera said, on a local level, Junta is gearing up with three immediate priorities: The organization wants to revise the Trust Act, which limits how local law enforcement can cooperate with immigration enforcement. With C4D, Junta seeks to increase institutional aid for undocumented students. Finally, with local New Haven organizations, Junta is holding community defense workshops to prepare people to respond to immigration raids. Starting with schools, and parents of students, organizers hope to inform people of their rights and provide checklists of information they should have available for those given the power of attorney. Junta’s first workshop will be Saturday, Jan. 14.

President Obama created the Deferred Action Childhood Arrival (DACA) program by executive order in 2012. People who had illegally entered the U.S. as children could receive a two-year period of deferred action from deportation and a permit allowing them to work. This executive order resulted from repeated failures of Congress to pass the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act, which was first drafted in 2001. Lawmakers repeatedly and unsuccessfully reintroduced it in a variety of forms through 2011. Most people eligible for the DACA program had to meet criteria of the DREAM Act proposals: The applicant must have entered the US prior to his or her 16th birthday, prior to June 2007, and be under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2015. To be eligible the person must have been a student, a high school graduate or an honorably discharged military veteran. Plus, he or she could not have a felony or significant misdemeanor conviction or pose a threat to national security. Currently, there are approximately 740,000 DACA recipients.

In efforts to keep families together, President Obama tried to expand the DACA program to include older individuals and parents, with the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) order. However, a federal court placed a preliminary injunction upon the DAPA program. Reviewing the case in United States v. Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court on June 23, 2016 issued a split (4-4) decision. Thus, the lower court’s halting of the DAPA program still stands.