Every week at All Saints Church we put our faith into action. This week we are demanding that the Senate act to protect DACA recipients and to finally provide them with a pathway to a permanent legal status leading to citizenship.

On July 16, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued a ruling stating that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was unlawful. The program, which the Obama administration created through executive action in 2012, provided certain undocumented individuals who arrived to the country as children with a renewable temporary status that protected them from deportation and allowed them to work in the United States. Although litigation contesting the Trump administration’s decision to terminate the program in September 2017 successfully kept the program alive, a May 2018 lawsuit filed by several attorneys general challenging the program’s legality resulted in last week’s decision. Given that efforts to pass protections for DACA recipients and Dreamers have stalled in the Senate, we have drafted a sample message for you and urge you to contact your Senator to pass legislation to protect DACA recipients and Dreamers.
The court’s decision leaves DACA recipients and applicants in a vulnerable position. Although the ruling allows the more than 600,000 individuals with DACA status to keep and renew their status, the decision keeps them in limbo. As it stands, DACA recipients cannot access a green card nor apply for citizenship. Furthermore, the decision prohibits the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from issuing this status to new applicants, including at least 50,000 individuals whose submitted applications are under review by DHS. Finally, the decision abruptly prevents eligible individuals who have not applied from seeking protection through the program.
The Biden administration will appeal the ruling, but Congress should take action to provide permanent protection. In March, the House of Representatives passed the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 (H.R. 6) to provide a pathway to legal status for DACA recipients and Dreamers. The Dream Act of 2021 (S.264) was introduced in the Senate in February. Finally, Senate Democrats have included a provision legalizing undocumented immigrants — including Dreamers — in their budget reconciliation bill.
Passing the bill aligns with The Episcopal Church’s longstanding commitment to protecting Dreamers. The Church has advocated for passing the Dream Act since 2012 when it called on Congress to pass “federal legislation that presents a pathway to citizenship for undocumented youth and young adults.” Polls also consistently show that Americans across the political spectrum support providing Dreamers like DACA recipients with a pathway to citizenship, showing that passing one of these bills would garner public support across the country. We call on our community to contact their members of Congress to rise to the urgency of the moment and protect individuals who have called this country their home their whole lives.

Please click on this link and urge the Senate to Give DACA Recipients a Pathway to Legal Status.

Episcopal Church Resolutions
• 2012-D067: Support the Dream Act
• 2018-C033: Denounce Racism Against Immigrants and Advocate for Immigration Reform