When Marissa Molina’s family came to the United States illegally more than 15 years ago, they said they only did so because it was a “land of opportunity.”

“My parents have worked incredibly hard day in, day out to ensure that they can give their kids a fighting chance to pursue their dreams,” Molina said, who benefited from a federal Obama-era program that allows students who came to the United States illegally before their 16th birthday a chance to stay in the country legally.

But as she was attending Fort Lewis College in Durango, Molina realized that she would be graduating without a Social Security number to put her degree in political science to use.

“My parents asked me to hold onto that hope that they had that this country was still the place where their kids could be the business leaders, the doctors, and the teachers that they have dreamt of becoming,” Molina said. “It was that hope that carried me to the summer of 2012, when President Obama announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.”

Today, Molina is worried that the so-called DACA program could go away as 10 Republican attorneys general – led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton – have threatened to sue the Trump administration if it does not repeal the program.

In an editorial that appeared on Fox News, Paxton said DACA “triggers numerous consequences.”

“We learned that DACA recipients have even been given Green Cards, and thus a pathway to citizenship-despite the Obama administration’s initial pledge that DACA does not confer such a legal path to citizenship,” he wrote.

“Apart from a pathway to citizenship, DACA allows aliens to leave and re-enter the country, removes eligibility bars from Social Security, Medicare, and the Earned Income Tax Credit, and confers eligibility for state benefits such as driver’s licenses and unemployment insurance. As of August 2016, more than 220,000 unlawfully present aliens in Texas applied for a permit or a renewal of one under DACA, and nearly 200,000 of those were approved.”

So far, Trump has committed to keeping DACA alive, but his administration has not promised to defend the program in court if it faces a lawsuit.

Standing at a news conference in Denver on Wednesday, Molina became emotional as she thought about future students who would be denied the ability to attend school and find meaningful work after graduation.

In her case, after Obama in 2012 implemented the DACA program, Molina was able to secure a student loan and scholarships to finish college. She became the first member of her family to do so when she graduated in 2014.

“And to whom much is given, much is required,” Molina said.

She joined Teach for America and continues to serve the Denver community as a teacher.

State, business and community leaders held a news conference on Wednesday to draw attention to the importance of DACA, and to call upon President Trump to defend and protect the program.

“So many young people were brought to the country through no fault of their own. They’ve come of age, they’re beginning to recognize the consequence of lacking immigration status,” said U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Boulder. “The consequence of this heartlessness and irrational act is clear. Either the DACA program will remain in place, or Congress can pass a bill to create a permanent solution to help this population.”

Meaningful immigration reform stalled in Congress, despite a bipartisan effort in the Senate that would have provided a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants. Similarly, efforts to provide students with an opportunity to remain in the country legally have stalled over political gridlock.

The Obama-era effort around DACA allows young immigrants to obtain a driver’s license, legal employment and a Social Security number, among other necessities to reside legally in the United States. Applicants must register with the government, pay a fee, and pass criminal and national-security background checks.

Over 17,000 Coloradans have benefited from the program. Over 15,000 DACA recipients are currently working in Colorado. A recent study estimates that Colorado stands to lose more than $856 million in gross domestic product annually from the loss of DACA workers in the state’s economy.

For this reason, DACA has remained a bipartisan issue, with significant support from the business community, including the Colorado Business Roundtable, which hosted the news conference on Wednesday.

“It is time we stop using kids as pawns and encourage our leaders in Washington to do what we elected them to do,” said Jeff Wasden, a Republican and president of the Colorado Business Roundtable.

Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne, a Democrat, added, “It isn’t an issue that I would have normally associated with the Business Roundtable, and I think it speaks to … not only the courage of the Roundtable in doing this, but this is an economic issue for us.”

Fears continue to swell in immigrant communities over a potential federal crackdown of undocumented immigrants who were not brought to the United States as children. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has proposed an executive order aimed at protecting the immigrant community in the face of a potential federal crackdown.

The order would essentially curb the federal government’s reach over arresting immigrants, though questions remain as to how effective it would be against federal immigration officers.

The Denver City Council is separately considering an ordinance that would limit information-sharing with the federal government on undocumented immigrants.

Both efforts would likely put the city at odds with the federal government, which could impact federal funding that Denver receives. Hancock had strong words for Trump and the Republican-led Congress on Wednesday.

“Washington needs to stop threatening our cities and targeting innocent people and get to work on real solutions, bringing hardworking undocumented people out of our church basements and out of the shadows,” Hancock said.