GA Faith Leaders Call on Congress to Stand with Immigrant Families, Pass the Dream & Promise Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 12, 2019

MEDIA CONTACT

Michelle Nealy, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org, (202) 735-7123

Graham Younger, gyounger@faithinpubliclife.org, (678) 739-8584

GA Faith Leaders Call on Congress to Stand with Immigrant Families, Pass the Dream & Promise Act

Atlanta, Ga. — On March 12th, House Democrats will reintroduce the Dream and Promise Act which provides permanent legal protections and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children and new protections for protections for Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure recipients. In light of this development, Georgia faith leaders have issued the following statement.

Rev. Tom Hagood, Moderator for New Sanctuary Movement of Atlanta, pastor of Columbia Presbyterian Church:

“My Christian faith teaches me that the body of Christ is one — when one part of the body hurts, we all hurt. Today, I stand with immigrant youth and families have waited in limbo long enough. I call on Congress to pass the Dream and Promise Act to provide a pathway to citizenship for individuals with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), without harming any other immigrant communities. These individuals have deep roots in our congregations and communities and it would be a moral failure to separate their families and deport them to countries suffering from violence and poverty.”

Rabbi Joshua Lesser, Congregation Bet Haverim:

“The Torah reminds us not to oppress or mistreat foreigners because we were once strangers in a foreign land. But today, Dreamers and holders of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) are no longer strangers– they are beloved members of our communities. The time is now for our immigrant neighbors to be fully welcomed into this country through a pathway to citizenship. The Dream and Promise Act of 2019 would do just that. I implore all members of Congress to support this bill that would bring long awaited justice and stability to families.”

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