A chorus of elected officials in New York City and the state are lashing out at the White House for a decision to rescind immigration protections for children brought to the United States.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said he "strongly opposes" the decision of President Donald Trump.

"I don't agree with the action that the federal government is taking," the mayor said, speaking at the NYPD's 41st Precinct Tuesday.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, often referred to as DACA, has allowed hundreds of thousands of children to remain in the country after their parents brought them here illegally. But the Trump administration announced Tuesday an end to the program, sparking protests around the country.

Congress has six months to come up with legislation in response before the government stops renewing permits for people currently covered by DACA.

In New York City, de Blasio says city officials are looking into measures that "will potentially nullify" the DACA change.

Other leaders from New York state to blast the president's decision include Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who threatened to sue the federal government over the move.

Lawmakers say about 40,000 of the estimated 800,000 DACA beneficiaries live in New York state.

"When you can turn on TV and see a Nazi swastika, or see the KKK, or see racism coming out of the mouth of the president of the United States -- this is not how our children should be growing up," says Scott Stringer, the state comptroller.