Trump Immigration Policy: Dozens arrested in protests over plight of 'Dreamers'

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Eighty-two people were arrested at a sit-in protest Wednesday in the US Congress. They were trying to pressure lawmakers into protecting children of illegal immigrants in the United States from deportation. CGTN's Owen Fairclough has more.

"Give us our freedom! Give us our freedom!"

They came by the hundreds for a peaceful takeover of the US Congress. A Jewish-led coalition arrested trying to protect the children of illegal immigrants from being deported after President Donald Trump rescinded the program allowing them to stay.

"My grandfather was an immigrant to this country and when he came here he didn't have papers."

"I'm a rabbi and I feel strongly that God and history demands that I be here."

The future of some 800,000 undocumented young people is at stake under what's formally known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program - or DACA. The recipients are dubbed "Dreamers."

JUNGWO KIM UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT "I need a clean dream act to be passed in order for me to have permanent residency and citizenship so that I can stay here, work here and contribute to the country."

Their voices were loud but the numbers of those putting themselves on the line dwindled quickly.

OWEN FAIRCLOUGH WASHINGTON "The protesters arrested here today are in a race against time. They're trying to pressure lawmakers into working some kind of solution for the Dreamers into a federal spending plan that's aimed at avoiding a government shutdown. And the deadline for that is on Friday."

So far Republicans haven't factored the Dreamers into their spending plans - though the message from one party stalwart is: don't worry.

LINDSEY GRAHAM US REPUBLICAN SENATOR "We're not going to leave 800,000 people out in the cold with no place to go."

And yet as lawmakers remain deadlocked, these young people hope this latest blast of winter weather isn't a portent. Owen Fairclough CGTN Washington.