ALBANY, N.Y. -- It was a different kind of first day of school.

"In a city like Albany, where a population has a particular need, designing a program around the need of the students makes a lot of sense," said New York State Education Commissioner Mary Ellen Elia.

About 75 students became the inaugural class at the Albany International Center, a place for children who need help with English get a leg up before returning back to the regular classroom.

"Part of it is, students have to understand their role in earning and learning themselves and make sure they become competitive in our society," said new superintendent Kaweeda Adams.

But the cloud hanging over what should be a joyous occasion is the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Monday that the Trump Administration will be ending the Obama-era DACA, which is designed to help students just like this.

"I just want you to think about a child who came here as an infant, never been in the other county that they came from. They've gone through our school systems, they've gone through our universities, many of them. They are working in our systems and now we are going to say, 'I'm sorry, but you are not an American,'" said Elia.

About 1 in 8 students in the Albany City School District are immigrants or refugees -- with 55 countries being represented. Some of these students are the so-called "Dreamers."

"We're going to make sure we are tuned into what is happening nationally, and see what impact that would have locally," said Elia.

Elia says she will be working with the governor and state attorney general to fight Trump's decision, so that come next year these students will still be here to say "hello" on the first day of school all over again.