The chair of the migration committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops urged the Trump administration to "ensure permanent protection" for youth who were brought to the U.S. as minors without legal documentation.
Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, chair of the Committee on Migration, reiterated the bishops' support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, a 2012 policy under then-President Barack Obama that, while not providing legal status, gives recipients a temporary reprieve from deportation and employment authorization in the United States as long as they meet certain criteria.
During his campaign for president, Donald Trump said he would get rid of the program but later backtracked and it's unclear what will happen to the estimated 750,000 youth who signed up for the program.
"DACA youth are contributors to our economy, veterans of our military, academic standouts in our universities, and leaders in our parishes," said Bishop Vasquez in a July 18 statement. "These young people entered the U.S. as children and know America as their only home. The dignity of every human being, particularly that of our children and youth, must be protected."
He urged the administration "to continue administering the DACA program and to publicly ensure that DACA youth are not priorities for deportation."
U.S. bishops urge Trump administration "to continue administering the DACA program and to publicly ensure that DACA youth are not priorities for deportation."
The bishops join other Catholic institutions worried about the group and urging protection. In May, more than 65 college presidents representing U.S. Catholic institutions asked for a meeting with the Secretary of Homeland Security to talk about immigration policy, particularly DACA, saying they worried about the future of their students. They cited incidents in which DACA recipients have been placed under immigration detention, including a case in which one of them was deported.
"Many of these students will leave our campuses for internships, summer programs and jobs. Our prayer is that they return," their letter said, but so far there have been no announcements of what the administration will or won't do regarding the program.
In his statement, Bishop Vasquez said that since DACA is not a permanent solution, "I also call on Congress to work in an expeditious and bipartisan manner to find a legislative solution for DACA youth as soon as possible."
The country's Catholic bishops will continue efforts to find a humane and permanent resolution "that protects DACA youth," Bishop Vasquez wrote.
"Additionally, I note the moral urgency for comprehensive immigration reform that is just and compassionate. The bishops will advocate for these reforms as we truly believe they will advance the common good," he said.
WHY never a word for the thousands of victims to illegal alien crime?
DACA is unconstitutional. We MUST stop offering these INCENTIVES and expect
people not to come here. Build the wall, cut ALL taxpayer benefits to illegal aliens, E-Verify and BIG fines for employers hiring illegals.
As for Sanctuary city;s-
http://www.illegalaliencrimereport.com/
https://cis.org/Mortensen/DACA-Granting-Amnesty-Dreamers-Committing-Crimes-While-Abandoning-Their-Victims
http://www.ojjpac.org/memorial.asp
http://theremembranceproject.org/
When city's across this country begin declaring they will NOT be a Sanctuary city. Where do you think all the gang members, criminals, illegals fleeing ICE will go? they will flock to the nearest sanctuary city. Sanctuary city's will be a magnet. The man who killed Kate Stinely stated he was going to San Francisco because he was "safe there".
If the Church wants DACA so badly YOU PAY! Here's the check----
* $3 Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens. .........I repeat...3 MILLION a DAY to process Illegals in the Criminal justice system.
* 30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens. Does not include local jails and State Prisons. At 21,000 per year expense per inmate in Federal Prison---do the math.
Economically here is a PARTIAL list below of what ILLEGALS are costing us now. Most
the facts below are 3 years old or newer so some of the numbers have risen dramatically since then.
-$12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally and they cannot speak a word of English.
-$17 Billion dollars a year is spent for education for the American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies.
-$2.2 Billion dollars a year is spent on food assistance programs such as SNAP food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens.
-$22 billion is spent on welfare to illegal aliens each year.
-In 2012 illegal aliens sent home $62 BILLION in remittances back to their countries of origin. This is why Mexico is getting involved in our politics $$$
-$200 Billion Dollars a year in suppressed American wages are caused by the illegal aliens.
Sources:
Center for Immigration Studies
Federation for American Immigration Reform
House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Investigations
Inter-American Development Bank
Violent Crimes Institute
Federation for American Immigration Reform
"Why never a word for the thousands of victims to illegal alien crime?"
What is the basis of your contention that there are "thousands" of victims to illegal alien crime? My understanding is that illegal aliens are far less likely to be involved in crime than native born white Americans, largely due to the fact that they don't want to risk deportation for committing any crime. Also, the majority of Hispanic illegal aliens are hard working, law abiding people who are here to provide for the members of their families in their countries of origin. Any petty or serious crime would jeopardize this life line for their impoverished families of origin.
Certainly there will be many criminal elements in any group of eleven million people that enter a country illegally.
The first source that you cited documented only a few hundred crimes committed by illegal aliens, not thousands.
How representative of the vast majority of illegal aliens are these individuals?
President Trump said that he wanted to get rid of the "bad hombres" that illegally entered our country. I totally support him in this endeavor. No American wants criminals to roam freely within our society. However. when you consider that 65% of construction workers in Texas are illegal aliens and that the vast majority of the people who harvest our crops in the United States are illegal aliens also, your approach may end up throwing the baby out with the bath water and actually do harm to our country in the long run.
Immigration reform is long over due. Politicians talk about it but never actually address the issue. In the mean time, programs like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals provide opportunities for illegal aliens to become future productive members of our society.