Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s illegal cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Read quotes from DACA beneficiaries working for faith-based institutions here. To interview them or faith-based organizational leaders, contact Lynn Tramonte at media@interfaithimmigration.org. Following are additional quotes from faith leaders.
“The Supreme Court’s decision today means that nearly 800,000 young people, who are Americans in every way but their status, remain protected,” said Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women. “The Senate has the opportunity to make this victory permanent by passing the American Dream and Promise Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for DACA recipients and keep our communities intact. We call on them to pass the Act without delay.”
“While we are grateful that today’s Supreme Court decision stops the administration from terminating DACA, this movement is far from over,” said Anna Gallagher, Executive Director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., known as CLINIC. “Congress must act now to reflect the will of the people in this democracy and to make official what is true —DACA recipients are Americans and this is their home.”
“The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and its AMMPARO migration strategy, alongside its domestic and international companion organizations and churches, applauds the decision of the United States Supreme Court to declare DACA as a legal program, and for standing to preserve and protect the program and the more than 700,000 young adults who are DACA recipients”, said Mary Campbell, Program Director for AMMPARO, and Trinidad Ariztia, Program Director for Migration Policy of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. “These valuable members of our communities deserve not only our support and protection but also our gratitude by enriching this nation’s diversity and, now, during the coronavirus pandemic for being key actors in the frontline whether that meant never stopped working in the health, service and food sectors; they have stepped up in keeping this nation safe and running during this critical time. This is why our attention now must turn into urging the U.S. Congress to enact legislation, pass H.R.6 (the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019-2020) that the House approved last June, and work together to provide DACA recipients with a pathway to citizenship”.
“I am thrilled the Supreme Court has voted to uphold DACA and reject yet another of this administration’s cruel anti-immigrant policies,” said Rabbi Jill Jacobs, Executive Director of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. “Welcoming immigrants is a core Jewish value. In fact, the ancient rabbis taught that the city of Sodom was considered evil because the residents made laws prohibiting kindness to strangers. Today’s ruling is one small step toward upholding the human rights of immigrants. Now we must build upon it by passing legislation that permanently protects DACA recipients.”
“As Quakers, we see the Light of God in every person. Our pursuit of just immigration policies starts with this long standing faith principle. Thankfully, the Supreme Court’s decision affirms our view on the humanity of all people. It is a principle of faith to protect undocumented immigrants, especially children and minors,” said Diane Randall, FCNL’s general secretary. “DACA has supported robust, thriving communities that rely on Dreamers as employees, neighbors, and most importantly, friends and family. We renew our call to prioritize equity and justice for all and no more spending for harmful immigration enforcement practices.”
Stephen F. Schneck, Ph.D., Executive Director of Franciscan Action Network said: “As people of faith, we celebrate and applaud the court’s decision as these young people are utterly deserving of continued life and protection in the only country they know. We pray this decision is now reinforced by legislation that provides a pathway to citizenship and ensures our immigrant sisters and brothers can continue to fulfill their dreams.”
Rev. Teresa (Terri) Hord Owens, General Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the USA and Canada said: “Today’s decision gratefully values the long and deep contributions DACA recipients have made to our congregations and communities; including the faithfulness of more than 27,000 essential DACA workers who have been protecting us all as essential health workers during the pandemic. We are a stronger nation because of all our neighbors, and we praise the court’s resistance to tearing 700,000 families apart. The justices’ decision also upholds our faith heritage that seeks to ‘bring wholeness to a fragmented world’ and to reflect the great love of a God who created every life in our Maker’s own image. Now, we pray today’s ruling will be soon replaced by permanent legislative protections that allow DACA leaders to continue to pursue education, build careers, raise families, and worship God without constant threats.”
Adam Taylor, Executive Director for Sojourners, said: “As people of faith, we affirm this decision which upholds the image of God, keeps families together, and protects lives. This COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that our health and future depend on the well-being of our neighbors. At this moment, when the future of our DACAmented siblings was at stake, the Supreme Court made the right moral decision to protect them. At Sojourners we join in the celebrations of our DACAmented family today. However, we are committed to standing in solidarity with our DACAmented community until permanent solutions are realized. Therefore, we are calling on Congress to pass legislation that provides legal status and a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients without increasing funding for cruel and ineffective detention and deportation practices that harm other undocumented communities.”
Christopher Kerr, executive director of the Ignatian Solidarity Network said: “We call on Congress to create a pathway to citizenship through a clean Dream Act that eliminates the limitations on their ability to share their gifts, talents, and ambitions in the country they call home.”
“We praise God for the decision handed down by the Supreme Court today which protects DREAMers and their families during the COVID-19 crisis,” stated Colin P. Watson, Sr., Executive Director (acting) of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, “The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has allowed young people to pursue their God-given dreams and futures and contribute in crucial ways to every sector of our communities, society, and economy. Even as we celebrate this decision which momentarily provides relief, we call on Congress to pass a permanent legislative solution so that families can stay together and all people, DREAMers and citizens alike, can have the opportunity to thrive.”
“Our prayers have been answered!” said Sr. Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. “The Supreme Court’s decision to reject President Trump’s arbitrary and capricious plan to strip protections from DACA recipients was the only just outcome. 700,000 of our immigrant neighbors have lived in fear for far too long. But they are not yet guaranteed permanent protections. For Dreamers to be safe, Congress must affirm that their home is here. The Senate must immediately act to protect the 700,000 Dreamers who call this country home. Tens of thousands work in health care and essential businesses. The House has already passed legislation that will keep Dreamers safe, and Mitch McConnell could take it up today. Call your Senators and demand that they take action now!”
“We are grateful that the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of protecting the right of 700,000 DACA recipients to live and work in the country they call home, said Carol Zinn, SSJ, Executive Director, Leadership Conference of Women Religious. “This is an enormous victory for the immigrant youth who have led the challenge to the Trump Administration’s repeated attempts to end the program that protected our students, neighbors, and friends from the threat of deportation. While we welcome the Court’s ruling, we recognize that this is not a permanent solution. Catholic sisters will continue to stand with the hundreds of thousands of undocumented youth and their families and to advocate for the passage of legislation that provides a path to citizenship without increasing funding for detention, deportation, or further border militarization or that would threaten family unity.”
Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO of Faith in Public Life added: “I’m grateful that the Supreme Court recognized the human dignity of DACA recipients by striking down President Trump’s cruel and racist attack on DACA recipients. Young immigrant activists led the way in this fight, and millions of people of faith nationwide followed. Together, we rejoice. We still have much work to do in defense of immigrant families. Now Congress must pass permanent protections that honor the dignity of every immigrant in this country. People of faith will continue working and praying to ensure that all God’s children are respected and protected.”
Said Sister Patricia McDermott, RSM, President, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas: “Today, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against the Trump Administration’s attempt to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This decision affirms what we, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, have believed and known in our hearts all along. These young immigrants are our neighbors, they share our pews, they are in our universities and they are here to stay!”
“The court’s ruling indisputably offers much-needed justice to thousands of DACA holders, who have been forced to wait years without knowing how long their protections from deportation will last,” said. Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, CEO and President of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. “The result has been countless lives interrupted and overcome with fear. The administration chose to subject these young people—and their more than 250,000 U.S. citizen children—to needless terror largely in order to bargain for other anti-immigrant policy goals. The Supreme Court’s decision today cannot wholly undo these earlier harms; likewise, it is beyond the court’s power to grant permanent status to DACA recipients. As a result, they, like hundreds of thousands of TPS holders—a similarly-situated group of immigrants—remain at risk of losing status from future executive action. Only Congress has the power to grant the path to citizenship that will protect DACA and TPS holders permanently from the threat of deportation and to protect family unity in the face of family separation. Fortunately, a legislative solution to accomplish this already exists. More than a year ago, the House passed H.R. 6, a bill to provide a path to citizenship for DACA and TPS holders. The Senate should take up this bill now and finally pass it into law. DACA recipients have waited long enough. This country, and no other, is their home. It is time our nation’s laws reflected this truth, as well as the will of the overwhelming majority of Americans who support DACA holders. Congress must pass H.R. 6 into law.”
“Today’s Supreme Court decision preventing the DACA program from being dismantled is a vital safeguard protecting hundreds of thousands of young people and families from deportation and devastation, and preserving justice in our society,” said Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, General Secretary, The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society. “DACA recipients are friends, family, and leaders in our congregations and community who, like all, deserve dignity, welcome, and the opportunity to flourish. We who are called by Christ to love our neighbor affirm the worth, dignity, and inherent value of Dreamers, their families, and all migrants. We applaud today’s decision from the Supreme Court. We also recognize that this decision is but a temporary reprieve that moves us closer to, but does not fully achieve, what the Lord requires of us: doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God. The DACA program allows over 700,000 young leaders a temporary status to pursue their dreams, live without fear of deportation in the country they call home, and invest in their future and in the future of the United States. This program providing a temporary status must be matched by a permanent solution. We urge Congress to create a permanent legislative solution by passing a clean Dream Act.”
“Eight hundred thousand DACA recipients across the United States have been living in limbo for far too long, and countless other young people have been unable to apply for DACA for the first time. Today’s decision means that – finally – they can breathe a bit easier, knowing that they can remain in the country that they call home. Especially right now, it is reassuring that these young people, who give so much to this country, won’t be forcibly separated from their families and communities during a global health crisis,” said Rev. John L. McCullough, President and CEO of Church World Service. “This decision is an important victory in the fight for all immigrants and part of a larger movement that demands justice, equity, divestment from racist systems and institutions, and investments in Black communities and communities of color. Faith communities across the United States have made their voices heard in support of DACA recipients countless times. We are called to welcome our neighbor. We recognize the God-given dignity in all human beings regardless of their immigration status. The Trump administration should fully and immediately reinstate DACA so that younger immigrants can apply for DACA protection. We also urge Congress to immediately pass a permanent, legislative solution, such as the Dream and Promise Act (H.R.6) that passed the House on June 4th.”
From Katie Adams, the Domestic Policy Advocate for the United Church of Christ, “We celebrate the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program. DACA recipients are cherished members of our congregations and communities, we are grateful for their presence, and that is where they belong. We know it is the relentless, and powerful work of immigrant youth that has brought us to this point. We turn our focus back on Congress to put in place permanent protections for DACA recipients with legislation that will provide a pathway to citizenship. As the United Church of Christ, we believe in welcome for all immigrants and that for DACA recipients and their families, home is rightfully here.”
“Today we celebrate the Supreme Court’s ruling to keep DACA in place. For the 800,000 DACA recipients and the thousands of Dreamers who come behind them and need protected status, we are relieved that they can live without fear of deportation. While we note this temporary consolation, we also believe that the only way justice for Dreamers can be fully afforded is through creating a legal path forward for citizenship. As the President & CEO of a national association whose practitioners work on the frontlines in immigrant communities, walking daily in the darkness of an unjust immigration system, we will not be content until justice for all immigrants is accomplished,” said Reverend Cecilia J. Williams, President & CEO of Christian Community Development Association.
“Through personal encounters and at marches and rallies in Washington D.C., we have heard and witnessed the heartache and resilience of DACA recipients and their families as they have fought against the constant threat of deportation and for the government to recognize that their home is here,” said Susan Gunn, Director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. “While the work for a permanent solution for DACA recipients and their families must continue, this decision provides welcome relief and hope for these hard-working immigrant youth who so enrich our communities and congregations.“
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of 55 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.
Follow us on Twitter @interfaithimm
###