“We still have more to offer,” said Stevanie, a young-adult DACA recipient and member of Marturia Presbyterian Church. As the Supreme Court deliberates on how protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will continue, we are reminded of the millions of people who are in the United States under temporary immigration statuses. The temporary statuses provide relief from deportation orders and provide access to work authorization but are precarious. They must be renewed every year to every two years, and individuals must put their lives on hold during each renewal process. Regardless of the amount of time someone has been a recipient of these temporary statuses and vetted for renewal, there are no pathways to permanent residency or citizenship. These protections can also be revoked with the change in presidential administrations. Life is precarious.
U.S. immigrants are keenly aware that there is a difference between what the United States promises — the American Dream — and what many immigrants experience each day.
The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), issued a letter commemorating the anniversary of the dismantling of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The longstanding immigration policy allowed children of undocumented migrants — also known as DREAMers— to remain in the United States under a process of bi-annual renewals.
The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has issued a letter today commemorating the anniversary of the dismantling of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
It began for more than 200 Presbyterians last Friday with Compassion, Peace and Justice Training Day at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. It ended with a visit to Capitol Hill on Monday to lobby Congress for changes in the approach to immigration and refugees.
Hundreds of thousands of federal employees began the work week not sure if they would be going to the office or staying home on Monday. For those who did show up, it was unclear how long they would be there.
