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>> Sreenivasan: A RECENT

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WASHINGTON POST/ABC NEWS POLL

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FOUND THAT 87% OF AMERICANS

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BELIEVE THAT DREAMERS, THE YOUNG

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UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS WHO WERE

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BROUGHT INTO THE UNITED STATES

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AS CHILDREN, SHOULD BE ALLOWED

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TO STAY IN THE COUNTRY.

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AND WHILE LEADERS ON BOTH SIDES

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OF THE AISLE, INCLUDING

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PRESIDENT TRUMP, HAVE EXPRESSED

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A DESIRE TO GIVE THE DREAMERS A

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PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP, THERE IS

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STILL NO DEAL.

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THE DREAMERS ARE A DIVERSE

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GROUP, LIVING AND WORKING IN A

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COUNTRY THEY HOPE WILL NOT KICK

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THEM OUT.

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NEWSHOUR WEEKEND'S IVETTE

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FELICIANO HAS THE STORY OF ONE

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DREAMER WHO'S DOING SOMETHING

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YOU MIGHT NOT EXPECT.

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>> Reporter: IMMIGRATION LAWYER

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LUIS CORTES ROMERO'S DAY BEGINS

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AT 6:00 A.M. AT SEATTLE,

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WASHINGTON'S FEDERAL

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IMMIGRATION COURT.

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TODAY, HE'S HERE TO DEFEND A

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14-YEAR OLD GUATEMALAN BOY WHO

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ARRIVED UNACCOMPANIED IN THE

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UNITED STATES AFTER WITNESSING

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HIS FATHER'’’S MURDER.

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AT 2:00 P.M., CORTES ROMERO IS

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30 MILES AWAY AT TACOMA'S

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NORTHWEST DETENTION CENTER TO

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DEFEND A FORMER GANG MEMBER FROM

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BEING DEPORTED.

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BY 5:00 P.M., HE'S FINALLY

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ARRIVED AT HIS LAW OFFICE JUST

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SOUTH OF SEATTLE, WHERE HE MEETS

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WITH THE FAMILY OF A WOMAN FOR

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WHOM HE'S HELPED SECURE REFUGEE

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STATUS.

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SO FAR, THAT'S PRETTY PAR FOR

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THE COURSE.

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BUT WHAT SETS CORTES ROMERO

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APART FROM OTHER IMMIGRATION

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LAWYERS IS THAT, LIKE MOST OF

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HIS CLIENTS, HE TOO IS AN

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UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT.

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WHAT WERE YOU TOLD ABOUT YOUR

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STATUS GROWING UP?

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>> I DEFINITELY KNEW WHAT IT

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FELT TO BE UNDOCUMENTED, THOUGH

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I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT IT

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MEANT.

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BECAUSE IN WHERE WE WERE LIVING,

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THERE WERE A LOT OF ICE RAIDS.

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IT WAS... IT WASN'T UNCOMMON TO

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HEAR ABOUT IT AT OUR

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NEIGHBORHOOD STORE OR THE

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APARTMENT COMPLEX WE WERE LIVING

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IN.

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AND SO, THAT FEAR WAS VERY REAL,

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BUT I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW, LIKE,

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WHAT THE OUTSIDE CONSEQUENCES

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WAS OF BEING DEPORTED.

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>> Reporter: CORTES ROMERO WAS

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BROUGHT TO THE UNITED STATES IN

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1989 FROM MEXICO WHEN HE WAS

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JUST OVER A YEAR OLD.

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BUT IT WAS ONLY WHEN HIS FATHER

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WAS DEPORTED IN 2004 THAT THE

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REALITIES OF BEING UNDOCUMENTED

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IN AMERICA BEGAN TO SINK IN.

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>> AT THIS POINT, I WAS IN MY

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BEGINNING STAGES OF HIGH SCHOOL,

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AND SO, YOU KNOW, I WAS FORMING

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MY IDENTITY.

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AND SO, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO DEAL

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WITH FROM AN IDENTITY FRONT.

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IT WAS DIFFICULT TO NOT BE MAD

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AT MY PARENTS.

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IT WAS DIFFICULT NOT TO BE MAD

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AT THE IMMIGRATION SYSTEM.

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IT WAS DIFFICULT NOT TO BE MAD

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AT MY PEERS FOR HAVING THIS

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PRIVILEGE OF THEM NOT HAVING TO

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THINK ABOUT IT.

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>> Reporter: CORTES ROMERO ALSO

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FACED DIFFICULTY APPLYING TO

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COLLEGES, MOST OF WHICH REQUIRED

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A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, WHICH

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HE DIDN'’’T HAVE.

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HE WAS EVENTUALLY ACCEPTED TO

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SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY, WHICH

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ACCEPTED HIS STUDENT I.D. FROM A

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LOCAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN PLACE

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OF A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.

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HIS COLLEGE DEGREE HELPED EARN

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HIM A PLACE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF

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IDAHO, WHERE HE ENTERED LAW

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SCHOOL IN 2010.

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YOU'’’RE STUDYING LAW, LEGALITY.

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YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO UPHOLD THE

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LAW.

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AND HERE YOU ARE WITH THIS

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SECRET, AN UNDOCUMENTED STATUS.

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>> YEAH, YOU KNOW, IT... IT'S

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DEFINITELY A LOT TO... TO TRY TO

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DECIPHER.

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AND ULTIMATELY WHAT I... WHAT I

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REALLY GOT OUT OF LAW SCHOOL I

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THINK AT THE END WAS THAT THE

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LAW'’’S SUPPOSED TO BE FAIR.

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>> Reporter: AND THEN, IN 2012,

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DURING CORTES ROMERO'S THIRD

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YEAR IN LAW SCHOOL, AN

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ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE WHITE

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HOUSE CHANGED HIS WORLD.

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>> EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, THE

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

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IS TAKING STEPS TO LIFT THE

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SHADOW OF DEPORTATION FROM THESE

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YOUNG PEOPLE.

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>> Reporter: THE DEFERRED ACTION

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ON CHILDHOOD ARRIVALS, OR

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"DACA," ALLOWED CORTES ROMERO,

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AND ALMOST 800,000 OTHERS LIKE

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HIM WHO HAD BEEN BROUGHT TO THIS

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COUNTRY AS CHILDREN, TO APPLY

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FOR WORK PERMITS WITHOUT THE

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FEAR OF DEPORTATION.

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>> IT'S HARD TO EXPLAIN THE...

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THE SHIFT THAT IT HAS ON A

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PERSON TO BE RECOGNIZED.

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WHEN YOU FINALLY GET YOUR

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IDENTITY, IT'S REALLY SOMETHING

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THAT I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED

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SINCE THEN OR EVEN BEFORE THEN,

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AND IT MADE ME SO MUCH MORE

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CONFIDENT.

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I WASN'T SCARED ABOUT BEING

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DEPORTED.

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IT CHANGED WHO I WAS.

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>> Reporter: CORTES ROMERO

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GRADUATED LAW SCHOOL IN 2013.

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A YEAR LATER, CALIFORNIA'S

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SUPREME COURT RULED THAT

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UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS COULD

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PRACTICE LAW UNDER THE STATE'S

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CONSTITUTION.

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HE WAS GRANTED A CALIFORNIA

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LAW LICENSE IN 2016, WHICH HE

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CAN USE TO PRACTICE FEDERAL

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IMMIGRATION ANYWHERE IN THE

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COUNTRY.

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WHEN YOU'RE GOING INTO THESE

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SPACES, IN IMMIGRATION COURT, DO

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YOU TAKE ANY SPECIAL

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PRECAUTIONS?

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DO YOU EVER FEEL FEAR?

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>> THE TIME THAT I THINK ABOUT

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IT THE MOST, INTERESTINGLY

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ENOUGH, IS WHEN WE WIN CASES

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BECAUSE THERE ARE SITUATIONS

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WHERE I WILL WIN A CASE FOR MY

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CLIENT, AND NOW HE'S IN A BETTER

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POSITION THAN I AM WALKING OUT

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OF THAT COURTROOM THAN WHEN WE

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BOTH WALKED IN THERE.

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>> Reporter: BUT THIS PAST

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SEPTEMBER, CORTES ROMERO FOUND

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HIMSELF WORRIED ABOUT

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DEPORTATION ALL OVER AGAIN WHEN

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ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS

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ANNOUNCED THAT THE JUSTICE

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DEPARTMENT WOULD END THE DACA

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PROGRAM IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR.

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TWO WEEKS AFTER THE ATTORNEY

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GENERAL'S ANNOUNCEMENT, SIX DACA

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RECIPIENTS FILED A LAWSUIT

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AGAINST THE TRUMP

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ADMINISTRATION, AND ONE OF THE

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LAWYERS REPRESENTING THEM IS

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LUIS CORTES ROMERO.

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WHAT IS THE ARGUMENT?

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WHAT'’’S THE COMPLAINT?

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>> PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID ON

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VARIOUS OCCASIONS EVEN AFTER HE

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WAS ELECTED, YOU KNOW, "I'M

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GOING TO TREAT THE DACA

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RECIPIENTS WITH A BIG HEART.

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DACA INDIVIDUALS HAVE NOTHING TO

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WORRY ABOUT."

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AND HE SAID IT OVER AND OVER AND

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OVER AGAIN.

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SO, PEOPLE MADE PLANS ON THAT.

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PEOPLE RENEWED ON THAT.

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PEOPLE APPLIED FOR THE FIRST

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TIME ON THAT.

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AND SO, TO SAY, "NOPE, JOKE'S ON

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YOU; WE'RE TAKING... NOW WE HAVE

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ALL YOUR INFORMATION, THANKS,

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AND WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THIS

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AWAY," IS SOMETHING THAT IS NOT

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JUST UNFAIR, BUT UNLAWFUL.

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>> Reporter: WHETHER OR NOT THE

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PRESIDENT'S ACTIONS ARE UNLAWFUL

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IS DEBATABLE, AND THE CASE MAY

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BE DISMISSED IF CONGRESS IS ABLE

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TO PASS LEGISLATION PROTECTING

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DACA RECIPIENTS BEFORE THE MARCH

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DEADLINE.

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IN THE MEANTIME, CORTES ROMERO

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CONTINUES HIS WORK, DEFENDING

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THE UNDOCUMENTED, AND, IN THE

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PROCESS, DEFENDING HIMSELF.