Washington DC - Immigrants' rights advocates are stepping up efforts to ensure protections for people who came to the US without documentation as children ahead of Donald Trump's Oval Office return.

Fears are growing for the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program as Trump prepares to retake the White House next month, threatening to launch mass deportations starting on his first day in office.

DACA provides protection from deportation and work authorization to over 535,000 people, known as Dreamers. Recipients must have arrived in the US under the age of 16 and continuously resided in the country since June 15, 2007.

Trump tried to end the DACA program in 2017. Although the Republican has recently indicated he may allow Dreamers to stay, many DACA recipients are skeptical the incoming president actually intends to defend them once in office.

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"He has surrounded himself with people who have promised to end DACA and who have promised to deport us," United We Dream's Deputy Director of Federal Advocacy Juliana Macedo do Nascimento told TAG24 NEWS.

Born in Brazil, Macedo do Nascimento herself is a DACA recipient. She was 14 years old when she arrived in the US.

"I am 38 years old now. I've been here for much longer than I ever was in Brazil, and I was educated here, I have family here, I've built my own family here, and I've only ever worked here," Macedo do Nascimento said.

"It's people like me who are here, who have been here for a long time, who are part of communities, who would be losing these protections," she added.

DACA is currently facing legal challenges, which may go all the way to the Supreme Court. The Department of Homeland Security has not processed new applications since a July 2021 court ruling dubbed the program "illegal."

Another blow came last week when US District Judge Daniel M. Traynor in North Dakota issued a stay and a preliminary injunction preventing enforcement in Kansas and 18 other states of a Biden administration rule giving some Dreamers access to long-denied health coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The Eighth Circuit US Court of Appeals on Tuesday issued a temporary stay of the preliminary injunction, allowing DACA recipients to enroll in a qualified health plan through ACA marketplaces while the case plays out.

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Thousands of DACA recipients' access to critical health coverage hangs in the balance as the court considers an appeal of Traynor's ruling.

"It's been 12 years of DACA, and some of those folks might not have had a chance to go see a doctor, might not have had a chance to take care of themselves and their health," Macedo do Nascimento said, noting there are over 100,000 uninsured DACA recipients in the US.

United We Dream expects the second Trump administration to pull back the Justice Department from defending DACA and the ACA rule, but rights groups have no plans to abandon Dreamers as the legal battles continue into the next presidency.

On Tuesday, United We Dream and partner organizations held a Day of Action in Washington DC, calling on federal lawmakers to block any anti-immigrant measures in the final days of the current Congress, including in the government funding bill.

The Biden administration can also take action in its last weeks by speeding up the approval of DACA renewal applications and instituting crucial data protections to prevent US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection from accessing the personal information of DACA and Temporary Protected Status applicants.

Anticipating difficult days ahead, Macedo do Nascimento is encouraging people without documentation to continue to seek the health care they need through community clinics and other affordable options.

United We Dream and other organizations are providing resources, including their UndocuHealth mental health and Know Your Rights initiatives. They are also working with local and state governments to institute sanctuary policies in order to shield people without documentation from rising right-wing threats.

"We know a big part of these tactics is just the fearmongering. It's just about pushing people back into the shadows," Macedo do Nascimento said.

"What I want folks to get from all of this coverage about mass deportations is that there are plenty of things they can do to be protected and to protect themselves."