In the packed Shiloh International Church, Democratic U.S Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and nine other Democratic Minnesota representatives at the state and federal level held a town hall discussing their efforts to oppose President Donald Trump on Monday.

This town hall was part of a series of town halls throughout Minnesota that Democratic lawmakers are hosting to discuss the effects of the recent budget cuts in education and Medicare from the Trump administration, Rep. Jamie Long (DFL-St. Paul) said in an interview.

Sen. Doron Clark (DFL-Minneapolis) and Rep. Sydney Jordan (DFL-St. Paul) said the Trump administration’s cuts to education could hurt Minnesota education.

“Our home-grown businesses and nonprofits are built from the students who graduate,” Clark said. “We need strong schools from preschools to high school to college.”

The Trump administration cut around $4 billion in funding from research at universities nationwide, including the University of Minnesota.

Along with budget cuts, representatives discussed the Trump Administration’s recent increase in deportations using the Alien Enemies Act.

During the town hall, Omar accused Republicans in Congress of giving up their independence and legislative power to Trump.

“Republicans in Congress are abdicating their constitutional duties because they are too afraid to stand up to Trump,” Omar said. “It has put us on a dangerous trajectory. The fate of our nation hangs in the balance.”

Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura (DFL-St. Paul) said the recent deportations are an attack on personal freedom.

“I have to say, standing here as a Japanese American person whose grandparents were interned and imprisoned by the U.S. government using the same laws that we see the Trump administration using today, it is really important to say that we have been here before,” Sencer-Mura said. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported around 11,000 migrants in February and 12,300 in the first four weeks of March, NBC News reported.  

Some Minneapolis residents said they felt more secure after the town hall, but they still wanted more action from their respective representatives. 

Minneapolis resident Maxine Davis said she is thankful for her representative but is worried Trump is taking actions before politicians and the public have time to fight it.

“Trump is working so fast that he’s making people’s heads spin,” Davis said. 

Davis went to the Hands-Off protest on April 5 and said she is unsure of how the representatives could effectively oppose the president. 

“I would like to see more, but the trouble is I want to know how we legally fight, and it looks like the courts are the way we’re going to fight them, particularly illegal things,” Davis said. “But my huge concern is that Trump may be ignoring the courts and is breaking the Constitution.”

Local 75-year-old resident Richard Hendrickson said after hearing from the senators, he felt better about his worries after the town hall.

Hendrickson, who has been to one of the other town halls, said he went to this one because he believes that the Trump administration’s recent deportation actions were unconstitutional and he wanted to know how Democrats would fight back. 

Hendrickson said he wants to see the Democratic Party do more to oppose the Trump administration. 

“I want them to do whatever they can. I understand local governments can’t act nationally. All they can do is the equivalent of tiny steps,” Hendrickson said. “If you do enough tiny steps and you keep on keeping on, you’re going to build something significant.”