Faith Leaders Hold Press Conference Applauding Supreme Court’s DACA Decision
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 19, 2020
MEDIA CONTACT
Michelle Nealy, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org, (202) 735-7123
Austin Schuler, aschuler@faithinpubliclife.org, (540) 280-3393
Faith Leaders Hold Press Conference Applauding Supreme Court’s DACA Decision
Washington, D.C. — On Friday, June 19th, faith leaders held a virtual press conference to applaud the Supreme Court’s decision striking down the Trump administration’s attempt to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. While the Justices did the right thing by upholding DACA, we still have much work to do in the fight for human dignity and against the Trump administration’s white supremacist, anti-family agenda. As people of faith, we believe all of God’s children have dignity, no matter where they were born.
For video of the full event, please click here.
José Arnulfo Cabrera, DACA Recipient, Director of Education and Advocacy for Migration, Ignatian Solidarity Network:
“As a DACA recipient, tonight I will be able to sleep soundly knowing that we will continue to be protected from deportation and able to work and study in the U.S. But this doesn’t mean that the fight is over. We must remember that DACA was created as a temporary protection for undocumented youth. We must continue to work for a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, undocumented youth, and our undocumented families, and begin to fix our broken immigration system.”
Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO, Faith in Public Life:
“For Black lives, for immigrant families, for everyone who is under the threat of White Supremacist tyranny, we must pray and work together for as long as it takes. When our family’s future and our neighbors’ future are on the line we all need to pull together in solidarity and do the work of justice. That is what it means to be part of a faith community and to be driven by faith.”
Rev. Teresa (Terri) Hord Owens, General Minister & President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada:
“We must love as God loves and Jesus has taught us that we will be known as his disciples when we have love for one another and that means ensuring that we all have the same opportunities to build lives that are free from fear and full of hope and opportunity. We encourage the US Senate again to pass the Dream and Promise Act to ensure these young people have the freedoms and protections in which they are entitled.”
Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice:
“Our prayers have been answered! 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, the Senate must immediately act to protect Dreamers who call this country home. The House has already passed legislation that will keep Dreamers safe, and Mitch McConnell could take it up today.”
Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block, Washington Director, Bend the Arc Jewish Action:
“My community, the American Jewish community, alongside so many other communities across this land continue to believe in the possibility and the promise of a more just America. We have a moral obligation to fight for a future where every person, no matter where they’re from or what they look like, can live and thrive without fear. And that fight continues.”
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Faith in Public Life is a national movement of clergy and faith leaders united in the prophetic pursuit of justice, equality and the common good. Together, we are leading the fight to advance just policies at the state and federal level. Our network of 50,000 leaders engage in bold moral action that affirms our values and the human dignity of all.