California Catholic Bishops Denounce DACA Termination, Pledge Solidarity with Immigrants
Statement calls for comprehensive immigration reform before the program expires in six months.
SACRAMENTO, CA – In anticipation of the Trump Administration’s announcement to terminate the DACA program, the Catholic Bishops of California have released the following statement. The DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program temporarily suspends deportation for an estimated 800,000 young people brought to the U.S. as minors, including 200,000 in California alone.
A Pledge of Hope and Solidarity
The Catholic Bishops of California believe, along with many of our fellow Californians, that immigrant youth and their families are a critical part of California’s future vitality. We will continue to believe in them, pray for them, and work with them.
We invite all who share this dream to join us as sentinels of hope. While the decision of the Administration may eclipse our common aspirations for them, we should not let our confidence be diminished. We have faith that this momentary shadow will pass.
An Urgent Call on Congress for Comprehensive Reform
Sustaining the status of DACA students is imperative, but more must be done. We urge all responsible political leadership at the state and federal level to work for comprehensive immigration reform and to put a meaningful bill on the President’s desk before the DACA program expires. This is the most reasonable and sustainable remedy for the DACA students, their families, and for all immigrants.
The administration’s capricious, ill-conceived action provides a clear deadline for Congress to craft a reasonable and effective solution.
A ‘Moral Betrayal’ of American Values
The current actions by the Administration further aggravate years of bipartisan indifference and inaction on comprehensive immigration reform. Now is the moment for Congress to show courage and compassion. The lack of political will has become a moral betrayal of America’s long-standing beacon of hope beckoning all those yearning to be free.
Defending the ‘Dreamers’
DACA students are not the so-called “bad hombres,” an insidious label used to instill fear and feed racism and nativism. Far from it, DACA recipients are:
- High school graduates, currently in school, or working on their GED.
- Often in college or honorably discharged members of the armed services.
- Barred from applying if convicted of a felony or serious misdemeanor.
- Working in businesses, harvesting our fields, building our homes, and providing essential services.
They have placed their lives on the line to defend our liberty and are giving back to the only nation they have ever known. They are the hard-working good neighbors America needs.
The Church’s Unwavering Commitment
Catholics—both in our parishes and larger organizations such as Catholic Charities and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC)—will remain steadfast in offering assistance to immigrants. We choose to continue to serve, comfort, and protect our brothers and sisters. We will not protect serious and violent criminals, but we will not allow reckless rhetoric to bully us from the course of compassion and basic decency.
We are encouraged by the fatherly admonition of Pope Francis: “[C]hildren… are a “diagnostic” sign, a marker indicating the health of families, society and the entire world. Wherever children are accepted, loved, cared for and protected… society is more healthy and the world is more human.”