Catholics across the US are being urged to contact their representatives in Congress on Monday 26 February and encourage them to take steps to protect the young undocumented immigrants, known as Dreamers, from the threat of deportation from the country.
The announcement of the National Catholic Call-In Day to Protect Dreamers was made on Monday, in a joint statement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) president, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Austin Bishop Joe Vasquez, the USCCB Committee on Migration chairman, and Los Angeles-based Vice President Archbishop, Jose Gomez. It followed the failure of the US Senate to gain the 60 votes needed to press ahead with legislation to protect Dreamers – the undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US as minors.
The statement expressed the disappointment of the Bishops that the Senate failed to come together and make a successful bipartisan effort to protect the Dreamers through legislation. With the deadline of 5 March looming, when the current protections offered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program are set to expire, the bishops are again asking for those in Congress to show the necessary leadership to find the young people affected a humane and just solution, and are asking Catholics to call their representatives to pressure them into doing that.
President Donald Trump announced in September last year that the deferred action program would end. He gave Congress six months to find a legislative solution, which they have so far failed to do.