The US Conference of Catholic Bishops is among Christian organisations which have denounced the Trump administration’s decision to rescind a program aimed at protecting young undocumented migrants from deportation.
Introduced by President Barack Obama, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program provided youth – brought to the US illegally as children before 2007 or were born to undocumented immigrants after mid-1981 – with permission to work in the United States and reprieve from deportation if they identified themselves.
Almost 800,000 young people, known as DREAMers (the name comes from earlier attempt to legalise them under the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act), have been protected under the program.
President Donald Trump this week has ordered a phasing out of the program over the next six months leaving Congress that time to decide the fate of those affected. The move this week prompted Mr Obama to release a statement describing the move as “cruel” and “self-defeating”.
In a statement, the USCCB described the move as “reprehensible”, saying it caused “unnecessary fear” for DACA youths and their families.
“These youth entered the US as minors and often know America as their only home. The Catholic Church has long watched with pride and admiration as DACA youth live out their daily lives with hope and a determination to flourish and contribute to society: continuing to work and provide for their families, continuing to serve in the military, and continuing to receive an education,” they said. “Now, after months of anxiety and fear about their futures, these brave young people face deportation. This decision is unacceptable and does not reflect who we are as Americans.”
Rev Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, said in a statement that he was “disappointed” with the decision and that the NHCLC did not intend “on letting a single member of Congress have a good night’s rest until they guarantee our young people can rest easy”. “We will not be silent until every DREAMer can dream again.”
The National Association of Evangelicals has called on Congress to “promptly pass legislation that permanently protects these individuals and allows them to fully integrate into American life”.
Leith Anderson, NAE president, said while Americans “may have a variety of views on the broader questions of immigration policy”, most were agreed that those who were “brought to this country as children — and who have grown up here — should not be punished for the actions of their parents”.
“Many of these young people are already deeply integrated into our churches and communities, and most know no other country than the United States.”
The decision has received support from some Christian quarters, however.
Tim Head, executive director of Faith & Freedom Coalition, said that given federal courts “were about to rule President Obama’s DACA program unconstitutional”, President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions had taken “proper, pro-active action to phase out the program delivering on their commitment to the rule of law and giving Congress time to pass immigration reforms that secures our borders, protects American workers, and deals with those already here”.
“Trump’s executive action is both compassionate toward all who those who have come to our country and prevents mass deportations that could have resulted from the impending federal court ruling that could break apart immigrant families. President Trump and his administration continue to focus Homeland Security resources on deporting criminals and visa overstays, and not on children who were brought to this country through no choice of their own.”
