Thousands of people living in New Jersey are impacted by the decision of a federal judge in Texas last week— and for the second time — that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, is illegal. The program, created by executive order of former President Obama in 2012, allowed hundreds of thousands of people who were brought into the U.S. illegally as children to apply for relief from possible deportation and for work permits.  

More than 16,000 DACA recipients live in New Jersey, with tens of thousands more eligible for the DACA program, according to the immigrant advocacy organization Make the Road New Jersey. Estimates vary for the number of DACA recipients nationwide.  

“Tonight, I feel anger and disappointment. This decision again triggered my fear of being separated from my family,” Neyda Perez, a youth leader at Make the Road New Jersey, said when the ruling was announced. “This ruling puts millions of people not only at risk for the same fear that I have of being separated from my loved ones, but it cuts opportunities such as being able to work and live without fear. The fight does not stop here.”