Diocese urges passing of Dreamer legislation
SAN JOSE » The bishop of the Diocese of San Jose joined a chorus of high-ranking religious officials Thursday to publicly support recipients of DACA, a federal program that provided temporary deportation protections to young, undocumented immigrant “Dreamers.”
Bishop Patrick McGrath urged Dreamers to “keep dreaming” and Congress to pass legislation that protects them from deportation at a news conference atMost Holy Trinity Church.
“We talk about these people being sent home,” he said afterward in an interview. “Actually, they’re being banished fromtheir home. They live here. This is their home.”
DACA, which former President Barack Obama established by an executive order in 2012, gave an estimated 800,000 Dreamers work permits and temporary relief from deportation. President Donald Trump ended DACA earlier this year and has given Congress until March to salvage the program as it phases out. Lawmakers have yet to reach a consensus on the issue.
Critics sayDACA was an unconstitutional overreach by Obama.
Some also have argued that an “amnesty” for Dreamers would only encourage more to flout immigration law.
An Arizona group, Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crime, this week likened DACA recipients to line-jumpers and said that although they arrived in the U.S. through no fault of their own, they should “get in line” with everyone else waiting to emigrate legally.
Catholic leaders however have been outspoken in support of DACA. Bishop Michael Barber of the Diocese of Oakland and Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco have expressed continuous support for DACA recipients in recent months.
McGrath was joined Thursday by other religious officials from the San Jose Diocese, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County and Santa Clara University, including university president Fr. Michael Engh.
An Irish immigrant and naturalized U. S. citizen, McGrath said he’s seen firsthand the fear in pa- rishioners eyes’ — particularly at churches in East San Jose — in knowing their children might be at risk for deportation.
“I see parents, grandparents, young people and it’s very moving for me, because when I was their age, I didn’t worry about these things,” he said. “I can’t imagine how that would be. I speak to high school kids and they’re afraid. Going to school in the morning, they’re afraid.”
If immigration officials are going to deport anyone, the bishop added, “They should deport me.”
“I’m from another country where I was born and raised. This is the country where these kids were raised. They are part of our fabric, they are part of our community.”
Iriana Luna, 21, of San Jose, who attended Thursday’s event at Most Holy Trinity Church, said DACA gave her hope at a time when she didn’t know what her future would hold as an undocumented immigrant. DACA allowed her to enroll at San Jose City College, work on campus, tutor fellow students in chemistry and English and to become president of the college’s student government, Luna said.
“DACA for me was very empowering,” Luna said. “I felt like I belonged on campus and I could be just like my peers. Although there’s a constant fear as DACA students and as the undocumented community, we need to continue to push forward and go above our limits and continue dreaming.”
In a Sept. 5 statement, Archbishop Cordileone stressed the need for a permanent legislative solution for Dreamers.
“It is more urgent now than ever that Congress act on behalf of millions of our friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives who find themselves in this situation, enabling them to keep their families together and to continue to build their lives as our fellow Americans, just as every generation of immigrants has before,” he said in a statement.
Also on Sept. 5, the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement calling the move to end DACA “reprehensible.”
Pope Francis also stated in September that he hoped the DACA decision would be “rethought” because it threatens family unity and young people’s security.
But lawmakers remain divided.
Republicans who control Congress have indicated a DACA deal must include measures to strengthen immigration enforcement. But many Democrats and immigrant rights groups have demanded passage of a “clean” DACA bill not tied to provisions such as funding for a border wall.