Every week at All Saints Church we put our faith into action. This week we call on our members of Congress to pass a bill like the Dream Act to protect DACA Dreamers who have called this country their home their whole lives.
Right now, the House is considering bills to restrict asylum and to bolster border security. While Dreamers are not part of the conversation, they remain a high priority for The Church as litigation against Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) moves forward, and we will advocate for these protections as well as for protecting asylum in any bill that moves forward.
The Episcopal Church has a longstanding commitment to protecting undocumented individuals brought to the United States as children known as Dreamers and has advocated for legal status for Dreamers since 2009 and for passing the Dream Act since 2012, specifically calling on Congress to pass “federal legislation that presents a pathway to citizenship for undocumented youth and young adults.”
DACA, which the Obama administration created through executive action in 2012 after Congress failed to pass legislation, provides certain Dreamers with a renewable temporary status that protects them from deportation and allows them to work in the United States. The DACA policy has been ruled unlawful by two separate federal courts since 2021, and although the rulings allow the nearly 600,000 DACA recipients to keep and renew their status, the Supreme Court could very well strip these protections if they concur with the lower courts.
Only Congress has the tools to provide permanent protections by passing legislation. The Dream Act of 2023 (S.365) was reintroduced in the Senate this year to provide Dreamers with a pathway to citizenship. Polls consistently show that Americans across the political spectrum support providing Dreamers like DACA recipients with a pathway to citizenship, showing that passing this bill 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 pass a bill like the Dream Act to protect individuals who have called this country their home their whole lives.
Options to Take Action:
- Sign a letter at the Action Table on Sunday.
- Download, sign and mail an action letter to your Members of Congress.
Letter for California Residents Letter for Residents of other states - Go to the Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN) website and participate in the action there.
Episcopal Church General Convention resolutions:
2018-C033: Denounce Racism Against Immigrants and Advocate for Immigration Reform
2015-D048: Support Immigration Actions for Youth and Parents
2012-D067: Support the DREAM Act
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If you ever need to look up your member of the U.S. House of Representatives or your U.S. Senators check here: www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.
To find contact information for your California State Senator or California State Assemblymember check here: www.senate.ca.gov and www.assembly.ca.gov.
Take Action
Every week at All Saints Church we put our faith into action. This week we call on our members of Congress to pass a bill like the Dream Act to protect DACA Dreamers who have called this country their home their whole lives.