As our county continues to have the future of the Dreamers unknown, many religious leaders and members of the community are standing up for continued support of these young people who were brought to the U.S. as children. Please find several statements below supporting DACA and the Dreamers. Together, let us pray for the safety and security of these children. Help allow them to not live in fear of their future and feel the comfort of our prayers around them.
Statement from Presentation Sisters Justice Commission
Sister Gabriella Crowley
We, the Sisters of the Presentation of Aberdeen, SD, support the continuation of the DACA program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). It is a path of stability for families, communities and local economies. We believe DACA is a moral issue and that to send these young people back to their countries of birth would be an unconscionable action. They are contributing to the good of our nation and enrich us all. Therefore, we join our voices with those of many other groups in the country who are asking for the protection of the young people in the DACA program.
Statement from Leadership Conference of Women Religious
Presentation Sisters
The Presentation Sisters share the disappointment of millions of people across the country who had hoped and prayed that President Trump would continue the protection offered Dreamers by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). DACA is a common sense path to stability for families, communities, and local economies and a reaffirmation of American values. Ending DACA will cause irreparable harm to families and communities and force 800,000 of our young people back into the shadows.
In the wake of this unconscionable action by President Trump, we urge Congress to immediately take up and pass the bipartisan Dream Act of 2017.
As women of faith we take seriously the gospel call to welcome the stranger and care for those in need. We will continue to press for compassion for our neighbors, relief for families, and an end to needless deportations. We will continue to advocate for bipartisan legislation that addresses our outdated immigration system. We will continue to stand in solidarity with families, regardless of immigration status, who labor daily to provide safety and security for their children. We will continue to walk with Dreamers and together with people of goodwill, we will work to ensure that the dignity of all people is fully protected.
Catholic sisters have a long history of accompanying immigrants and refugees. We continue to minister to these aspiring citizens in schools, hospitals, and service agencies along the southern border and across the country. We see the devastating effects of the current immigration system every day. We share the hopes and dreams of these young Americans who represent so much of what is right and good about this country we all call home. We are united in our hope for an end to the disruption in families that deportation would cause.
Statement from the Most Reverend Paul J. Swain, Bishop of SF
In Repsonse to the Executive Order to eliminate the
Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA)
Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, President of the USCCB, has issued the following statement concerning the termination of the so-called “Dreamers” immigration program. It seeks to protect those who were brought into the U.S. as children and therefore with limited knowledge of immigration laws. They should not be punished for actions they did not knowingly commit.
Most of these young people have known no other country than the U.S. in which they have been raised and educated. Many are becoming contributing members of our country and enrich us all. There are hundreds of young people in South Dakota who now live in fear and uncertainty.
I fully endorse the statement of Cardinal DiNardo and urge the Congress to quickly enact legislation which provides a just resolution to this matter. Congress should also enact comprehensive immigration reform that protects our borders while building on the long legacy of legal immigration that has served our country well, including in our diocese and state.
Thoughts from Pope Francis,
According to the National Catholic Reporter Online
Pope Francis has questioned President Donald Trump’s commitment to pro-life values, suggesting that his administration’s recent decision to end a program protecting undocumented young people from deportation is contradictory.
In a half-hour press conference on the flight back to Rome after a five-day visit to Colombia, the pontiff also said he hoped Trump would reconsider his decision to stop the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA.
