Too many young people are threatened with deportation because their parents brought them to the U.S. without documentation, and Congress needs to pass the Dream Act to help them, Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles has said.
The proposed legislation “would permanently lift the threat of deportation that right now hangs over the heads of more than one million young people who were brought to this country illegally or are living in the homes of undocumented parents,” Archbishop Gomez said July 21.
“We are talking about people who have grown up in this country since they were young children. America is all they know,” he said. They are presently in “limbo”, without any legal status even as they work, go to college, and serve in the armed forces.
“It is long past time for us to welcome these young immigrants as citizens and give them the opportunities they need to flourish and to help our country grow. A just and compassionate society cannot continue to punish innocent children for the mistakes of their parents.”
The archbishop spoke the day after the introduction of the Dream Act of 2017 by Sens. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). The bill would grant permanent legal status to over 1 million young people who arrived in the U.S. before they turned 18, provided they meet certain criteria. These criteria include enrolling in college, joining the military, or finding jobs. Applicants must have lived in the U.S. for four years. Its name derives from the acronym Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors.
The proposal would make permanent the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which was implemented by executive order in 2012 by President Barack Obama, who cited lack of action from Congress.
Full story at Catholic San Francisco.
Interesting, that today when we here a pronouncement of most Catholic Bishops it is virtually entirely political.
Just another class of unelected autonomous rulers imposing their will on the unwilling, unenlightened unwashed.
Is there any category of illegal alien that Archbishop Gomez thinks should be deported? Don’t deport illegal aliens brought here as minors. Don’t deport unaccompanied minors. Don’t deport illegal aliens who are married and have families in America. Don’t deport them if they have jobs.
Let’s begin the discussion with those whom the Archbishop agrees should be deported. When I hear him advocate for border security and American sovereignty and mention a category of illegal alien that should be deported; when I hear him say to people in Mexico that they should not enter the United States illegally, then I’ll start taking his ramblings about immigration more seriously.
The Archbishop is completely wrong in wanting to reward those, who break our laws. Apply and get in line with all of those, who are trying to come here legally.
“America is all they know,”
Exactly why they identify so strongly with their Mexican heritage