Trump immigration ideas worry Hawaiʻi families

DACA enables those who came to the U.S. before their 16th birthday to get a work permit without fear of being deported.

“That allows people to come out of the shadows and live and work just like everybody else,” said Gavin Thornton of the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice.

Immigration attorney Clare Hanusz said people are calling her office, concerned that Trump will revoke DACA.

"DACA is only good for two years," she said. "A lot of people are coming up for renewals. They're not sure what's going to happen."

Through DACA immigrants can go to college and contribute to the economy.

Thornton estimates Hawaiʻi’s DACA participants account for about $3 million in annual revenue.

“It’s estimated that undocumented immigrants in Hawaiʻi contribute about $30 million in state and local tax revenue,” he said.