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OH 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
Dan Clark, dclark@faithinpubliclife.org, (614) 648-3663

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

Columbus, Ohio — 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, Ohio faith leaders have issued the following statement.

Imam Horsed Noah, Outreach Director, Somali Islamic Centers of Ohio:

“In the Muslim tradition, if a person of any faith comes to a society seeking security from uncertainty and harm, one is not allowed to force them to return, unless they committed clear harm in the place they fled, or they choose to return. We need to keep the pressure on Congress to bring a pathway to citizenship through the Dream and Promise Act to protect immigrants in limbo — Dreamers and holders of Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure. We should all stand with our neighbors and their families.”

Pastor Rich Nathan, Senior Pastor, Vineyard Columbus:

“Over the past few years Vineyard Immigration Counseling Services has worked with hundreds of young adults with DACA. We have seen the life-transforming results of the program. But no one can live a healthy life in limbo. It’s time for Congress to pass legislation offering a pathway to citizenship to all DACA recipients as well as to all immigrants brought to the U.S as children.”​

Dr. Carl Ruby, Senior Pastor, Central Christian Church, Springfield, OH:

“As an evangelical pastor, I challenge my congregation to do unto others as we would have others do unto us. My heart breaks for young people in my neighborhood who are caught up in our outdated immigration system. Dreamers serve in our military, excel in our schools, and love the country they grew up in. There is so much support among voters across all parties for the kind of protections outlined in the Dream and Promise Act. Congress is long overdue in addressing this issue of basic human dignity. Passing this bill would be a big step toward helping us be the kind of nation we know we can be. Not passing it would be a moral failure at a time when we need to unite as a nation around the values that have made us strong.”

Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan Jr., Executive Director, Ohio Council of Churches:

“The United States is filled with people of faith and goodwill who endeavor to uphold the dignity and worth of all who call our country their home. However, at this moment, the increasing pace of deportations of our neighbors is dismantling families and disrupting communities. Deporting people to unstable, war-torn, poverty stricken countries is dangerous, immoral and contradictory to American values. Congress can change this reality. We can pass the Dream and Promise Act to give a pathway to citizenship to immigrants with deep roots in our communities but who wait in limbo. Now is the time for action!”

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Faith in Public Life is a national network of over 50,000 clergy and faith leaders united in the prophetic pursuit of justice and the common good.

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