Catholics urged to step up for Dreamers during mass,

On Sunday, many Catholics in Austin and across the U.S. were handed a call to action with their usual church bulletin.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is pressing Catholics to take part in a “Congressional call-in campaign” on Monday to urge members of Congress to find a “common sense and humane solution” for Dreamers in advance of the program’s end March 5.

President Donald Trump announced last fall he was ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, created under President Barack Obama. If Congress does not pass legislation addressing the fate of these immigrants, more than 700,000 young people brought to the United States illegally when they were children could be deported.

Without mentioning Trump by name, the bishops’ message to congregants disagreed with the president’s call to end family-based immigration, which Trump and other critics have called “chain migration.”

“As a Catholic, I know that families are not ‘chains,’ but a blessing to be protected,” said part of the message the bishops urged congregants to say when calling members of Congress. “Act now to protect Dreamers, our immigrant brothers and sisters.”

St. Austin Catholic Parish also announced the initiative at the end of Sunday Mass.

“The Catholic church has been consistent for centuries in saying that all people should be able to cross borders to do what is best for their families,” said the Rev. Rich Andre at St. Austin. “And the bishops in the United States have been consistent in supporting the Dreamers.”

After the announcement last September that DACA would be phased out, Austinites, and many Dreamers, protested on the steps of the Texas Capitol, advocating for a program extension.

Bishop Joe Vasquez of Austin, chair of the USCCB Committee on Migration, issued a statement Feb. 19 with Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, USCCB president, and Archbishop Jose Gomez, asking Catholics to take action in support of Dreamers.

“We are deeply disappointed that the Senate was not able to come together in a bipartisan manner to secure legislative protection for the Dreamers,” the statement reads. “With the March 5 deadline looming, we ask once again that members of Congress show the leadership necessary to find a just and humane solution for these young people, who daily face mounting anxiety and uncertainty.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops often speaks up when it comes to legislation impacting values the Catholic Church holds.

“The church has repeatedly spoken to social issues when the gospel calls us to,” Andre said.