Washington, DC – On Friday, CASA, twelve Central American Minors (CAM) program applicants, International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), and Arnold & Porter entered into a major settlement agreement with the U.S. government in S.A. v. Trump.
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition prayerfully welcomes this agreement, which will reunite some families divided by the Trump administration’s cruel decision to end the Central American Minors (CAM) program. About 2,700 Central American children will have the chance to seek protection in the United States and reunify with their family members. While we celebrate this agreement, we also urge the administration to faithfully restore the CAM program to protect Central American children from harm. The CAM program began in recognition that children are fleeing Central America in fear for their lives.
Below, members of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition herald this news.
“CWS joins faith communities across the country in celebrating the historic settlement in S.A. v. Trump that may allow approximately 2,700 Central American children living in dangerous conditions to safely reunite with their parents in the U.S.,” said Church World Service President and CEO, Rev. John L. McCullough. “The administration’s immoral termination of the Central American Minors (CAM) program was a cruel decision that threatened the lives of vulnerable children. CWS welcomes the settlement and urges the administration to immediately reunify these families in the United States and fully restore the life-saving CAM program. We urge Congress and the administration to uphold our legal and moral obligations to protect refugees, asylum seekers, and other vulnerable populations. We must both address root causes and ensure that individuals fleeing violence have an opportunity to seek protection. People of conscience agree: It is time to place humanitarian values at the center of U.S. policies.”
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) welcomes the Trump administration agreement announced on April 12, 2019 to reunite children from Central America with their parents already in the United States through the Central American Minors (CAM) Parole program. ELCA Advocacy affirms and urges the Administration to continue to recognize that children and youth, whatever their status, should be seen first and foremost as vulnerable and in need of protection and care, and therefore not create unreasonable obstacles for the CAM program to operate.
The Rev. Amy Reumann, ELCA Director for Advocacy, said, “As we enter Holy Week, Christians are attuned to the pain of the world as we hear again the story of the suffering and death of Jesus. I am heartened that these children, who have suffered for two years during the Administration’s suspension of the CAM program, will now be speeded on a path of reunification and returned to their families.”
The ELCA advocates on behalf of unaccompanied children and has worked to facilitate the reunification of families, especially those coming from Central America, who since the 1980s have been fleeing wars, violence and poverty. The ELCA AMMPARO Strategy that accompanies children fleeing violence and persecution in Central America, guides ELCA advocacy with this administration to prioritize collaboration with the countries of origin to address root causes and to ensure individuals fleeing violence will be accorded protection and treated with respect as they seek to cross borders. To this end, the ELCA will oppose any efforts to reduce the percentage of people admitted for family reunification reasons as well as oppose costly financial requirements that prohibit immigrants with limited resources from being reunited with family members.
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of 52 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants.
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