Georgians debate the future of DACA

ATLANTA - While the fate of 24,000 Georgia "Dreamers" rests in the hands of Congress, the woman called the "face" of the immigration debate in the state calls the end of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals a "tragedy," while Trump supporters praised the administration's swift action.

"What we saw today was a very cruel and inhumane act by this administration," said Jessica Colotl, whose case was thrust into the national spotlight as a student at Kennesaw State in 2010, when she had a run-in with authorities over a traffic violation. Colotl was brought into the country at 11 years old.

Colotl and others, she said, worry now about being a target for immigration authorities.

"I'm worried about my case, and I'm also worried about all Dreamers. It will only take USCIS to share their database with ICE," she said. The White House has promised to uphold DACA for six more months.

Georgia's lawmakers, however, praised the decision by the White House. U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson released this statement: "Congress should protect these young people while also working toward stronger measures to secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws going forward," the statement said.

"President Trump is trying to look for a solution to help these Dreamers," said Dexter Dawston, an advocate with the Coalition for Legal Immigration. He and others believe DACA should end, prevent encouraging families to travel into the country illegally.

"You can't have a program like this magnitude to go on indefinitely," he said.