Monica — who preferred NY1 use only her first name — says the Trump administration now opening up houses of worship and schools to immigration raids is frightening. 

"I think there is a very obvious racial and ethnic sense to this," she said.

Monica is a recipient of DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, that grants work and deportation protection to certain people who came to the U.S. as children and stayed without permission. 

She spoke at a rally Thursday morning inside St. Marks Church in the Bowery in the East Village, where faith leaders, politicians and immigration advocates came together in opposition to the recent actions by the Trump administration.

"Locations that have served as places of refuge, places of safety, are now places where ICE wants to show up and separate them from their families," said Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition.

An ICE memorandum issued in 2011 outlined the agency's policy of not carrying out arrests, searches and surveillance in what were considered "sensitive locations." That included schools, hospitals and places of worship.

But the day after he was sworn in, President Donald Trump rolled back the sensitive location protections. 

In a statement, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security said the move was "to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens — including murderers and rapists — who have illegally come into our country."

"Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest," the statement said.

School officials and immigrant advocates say that to get inside of schools and private spaces in houses of worship, immigration agents would need a judicial warrant.

"What is being done isn't about public safety," Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said. "It never was. It is about repressive and cruel policies."

New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat is reintroducing legislation he first brought forward in 2017 that would codify protections for sensitive locations into federal law. 

"America should... continue to provide that safety net for moms taking their kids to schools, seniors going into the ER," Espaillat said at a press conference on Capitol Hill. 

But Monica is worried. Trump, in his first term, tried to rescind DACA, but was blocked by the Supreme Court. Then this past December, he said he supported letting so-called Dreamers stay, but a federal appeals court found it unlawful — allowing the half million recipients to continue to renew their permits, but freezing out anyone else from applying. 

"I think the speed at which the current administration is moving makes it feel like DACA is even more uncertain at the federal level," Monica said. 

So far, there have been no reports of any enforcement actions taking place inside sensitive locations. 

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, there have been 100 arrests in New York City so far. The Trump administration says there have been 8,000 nationwide.