WASHINGTON, D.C., JUNE 19, 2012 (Zenit.org).- A decision last week by President Barack Obama to defer deportation for all young people eligible under the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act was welcomed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“This important action will provide protection from removal and work authorization for a vulnerable group of immigrants who deserve to remain in our country and contribute their talents to our communities,” said a statement made by Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration.
“These youth are bright, energetic, and eager to pursue their education and reach their full potential.They did not enter our nation on their own volition, but rather came to the United States with their parents as children, something all of us would do,” he said.
As many as 800,000 young people would be eligible to receive a deferred action on deportation for two years, and a work permit.
Archbishop Gomez said the President’s action is no substitute for passage of the DREAM Act and encouraged Congress to enact comprehensive and humane immigration reform.
“We call upon the President also to review Administration deportation policies and more aggressively pursue the policy of prosecutorial discretion for other populations, a policy which was announced last year,” the statement continued.
“Families continue to be deported and separated, causing undue suffering,” Archbishop Gomez added.
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On the Net:
Text of statement: http://www.usccb.org/news/2012/12-110.cfm
