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Posted: 2017-10-27T09:00:23Z | Updated: 2017-11-07T22:04:10Z

The past couple of months have been tough for undocumented immigrants in Houston.

In late August, Hurricane Harvey struck the Texas city, killing dozens of people and displacing hundreds of thousands. Days later, the Trump administration ended the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals or DACA program, putting nearly 700,000 young undocumented immigrants at risk of losing their jobs and being deported when their protections expire.

For 29-year-old DACA recipient Oscar Hernandez, a lead organizer with the Houston chapter of immigrant rights group United We Dream , it was time to help out.

Here in Houston, we had a lot of folks who lost everything during the hurricane, Hernandez told HuffPost earlier this month. What does it mean to have to replace everything in your house, while also trying to get the $450 needed to file the [DACA renewal ] application? So its been extremely challenging for undocumented youth across the country, but especially here in Houston.

In the weeks after the hurricane, the groups three staff members and dozens of volunteers rushed to help the Houston community by joining relief efforts , helping out in local shelters and raising funds for undocumented families , many of whom are ineligible for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

It was a natural extension of the work the Houston group has been doing for the past four years, helping undocumented youth by hosting free legal clinics for DACA applicants or organizing protests and other actions to promote local policies that support undocumented families.

At a time when the Trump administration is regularly pushing anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies from repeatedly referring to undocumented immigrants as criminals to cracking down on the community with blunt immigration enforcement tactics the groups work has never felt more urgent.

DACA recipients will begin to lose protections in greater numbers after March 5 and some already have unless Congress steps in.

Our community isnt giving up. Were going to continue to push for a clean Dream Act , but also make sure the whole undocumented community is empowered and protected, Hernandez said, referring to legislation that would grant legal status to certain undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as minors. If youre undocumented and feel fearful: Join us, reach out to us. We want to hear from you.

HuffPost spoke some more with Hernandez about what its like being undocumented in Trumps America , and how hes helping other DACA recipients living in fear .

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.