There are more than three-quarters of a million “Dreamers” — some 600 of them live in Hawaii — who came to the United States illegally as children, but grew deep roots and hold the potential to grow into lives as valuable contributors to our communities.

Through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program Opens in a new tab (DACA) that President Barack Obama created by executive action five years ago, these young adults are now freely pursuing higher education and jobs. Immigration officials can let Dreamers stay put for two years, and permission can be renewed.

Such a stopgap is a good thing for Dreamers, who are caught up in circumstances they did not initiate. DACA also benefits the overall economy until Congress can figure out a way to effectively rework the nation’s faulty immigration system.

It’s disheartening, but not surprising, that President Donald Trump is now leaning toward rescinding the program. Conversely, it’s inspiring to see Hawaii’s U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, state Attorney General Doug Chin and others defending it.

Surrounded by DACA supporters near the steps of Honolulu’s federal courthouse on Wednesday, they urged Trump to resist a group led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that’s trying to force the president’s hand on the matter.

Claiming that DACA is unlawful, Paxton and nine other state attorneys general — Hirono calls them the “Texas 10” — told U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions that if the program is still in place on Sept. 5, they intend to take legal action by amending a 2014 lawsuit to include a challenge to the program.

That lawsuit was filed in response to a separate Obama initiative, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), which would have expanded DACA’s eligible population.

It was never implemented after Paxton blocked the program in court.

The Texas 10’s maneuver prompted California’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra and 19 of his colleagues, including Chin, to send a letter to the president asserting that DACA provides a valid framework for Dreamers to remain in the country. If the Trump administration fails to defend it, Chin said, the group will look at legal options for entering the fray.

Chin, who is doing Hawaii proud in defense of ongoing immigration issues, said: “Rescinding the DACA program, or the possibility of that happening, is just another example of the president considering a policy that really has no basis in factual foundations but really is only designed to perpetuate something that is just appealing to a base that … is discriminatory and discriminating against people based upon the countries that they came from.”

In campaign speeches, Trump vowed to terminate DACA, calling it an illegal amnesty program. In the White House, though, he appeared to reverse himself on the issue.

Immigration advocates rightly dispute the amnesty charge, stressing there is no blanket relief for the Dreamers. Rather, each applicant’s case is assessed on its own merits to ensure criteria standards are met and there’s no security threat.

To qualify, applicants must have entered the U.S. before age 16, lived in the country continuously since June 2007 and have committed no serious crimes. Also, they must be in high school or have a diploma or be a veteran. Dreamers can apply for a work permit and get a Social Security number.

In Hawaii, only about 30 percent of some 2,000 people thought to be eligible have applied, with application rates particularly low among Asians and Pacific Islanders.

Advocates say that in addition to the typical obstacles — ranging from paying for the application fees to fear of deportation or negative consequences to other family members — in these communities undocumented immigration is not widely discussed and stigma tied to it can be daunting. Here’s hoping that ongoing outreach efforts can change that.

Hirono also backs new proposed legislation — a bipartisan “Dream Act” — that would offer a path to permanent legal status to people who arrived in the U.S. as children, can pass a background check, and otherwise fit the DACA criteria.

But she said, “The main thing right now is to not do away with the executive order that created the (DACA) program that enables 800,000 young people to be able to work, to be able to go to school and to join the military.” Agreed. We should not let DACA become a dream deferred.