UMC-Related Organizations Mobilize to Defend Immigrant Programs

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UPDATE Aug. 30: Church World Service has designated Thursday, Aug. 31 as National Call-in Day to support immigrant youths vulnerable to deportation if the Trump Administration rescinds Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). People of faith are urged to call national leaders:

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Leaders of Church World Service, the ecumenical relief and development agency supported by The United Methodist Church, and the denomination's own General Board of Church and Society issued urgent calls this week for people of faith to defend against the rumored rescinding of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and its accompanying Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

DACA, created by the Obama administration in June 2012, allows certain undocumented immigrants who came into the USA as minors to gain a two-year period of deferred action from deportation that can be renewed, along with eligibility for a work permit.

According to the Rev. Noel Andersen, national grassroots action coordinator for Church World Service, some 800,000 youths who were brought to the United States as children by undocumented parents would be immediately subject to deportation if the Trump Administration rescinds DACA as reported. Some estimates put the number of potentially affected youths and their families as high as 1 million people.

"This move would mean turning our nation's back on immigrant youth who are valued members of our communities," Rev. Andersen wrote in an email urging immediate action.

The Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, top executive of the General Board of Church and Society, issued an additional appeal for United Methodists to defend protected status for immigrant youths and their families. She cited Matthew 25, verses 35b and 40b wherein Jesus commands his disciples to welcome strangers, as motivation for Christians to oppose rescinding DACA.

"These young people came out of the shadows at the invitation of their government to live fuller, more public lives, gaining legal status, work authorization, and the ability to support themselves, their communities, and the country," Dr. Henry-Crowe stated in her appeal. "To pull the rug out from under them in this way is immoral and egregious."

The United Methodist Book of Resolutions, a collection of social justice guidelines, "supports DACA recipients and their parents, affirming the executive action taken by President Obama as necessary, while acknowledging that 'legislative change is the permanent step that is needed,'" the Church and Society executive said. (Book of Resolutions,#3281 “Welcoming the Migrant to the US,” #3164 “DREAM Act”).

Dr. Henry-Crowe urged United Methodists to call their U.S. congressional representatives and urge them to:

  • Appeal directly to President Trump to keep DACA in place, and
  • Co-sponsor and pass legislation like the DREAM Act that protects DACA recipients.

Both the Church and Society and Church World Service messages cited an interfaith coalition which has set up a phone number for easier calls to members of Congress. These numbers are:

"DACA recipients are strong and vital contributors to society," Dr. Henry-Crowe said. "They sit in United Methodist pews and stand in United Methodist pulpits. Hundreds of thousands of children of God cannot be put in danger as the Church sits quietly by."

Rev. Andersen of Church World Service, which helps to resettle thousands of immigrants to the United States, has set up a five-point campaign to support DACA, which includes calling congressional representatives. Other actions listed in his email appeal include:

DC HUNGER FAST SOLIDARITY ACTIONS From September 5th-September 8th, United We Dream (UWD) and the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) are organizing a hunger fast in Washington, DC to stand in solidarity with DACAmented community members and #defendDACA. DACA recipients will begin a hunger fast on Sept. 5th, the deadline the Texas Attorney General and others have imposed on Trump to cancel DACA or face a lawsuit. It will last throughout the week. Click here to join an action in solidarity to support DACA and TPS. If you are in DC RSVP here for action on September 5th. From now until September 5th, National Korean American Service & Education Consortium, Inc. (NAKASEC) is holding a 24-hour vigil in front of the White House to defend DACA and save TPS. Faith leaders: We invite you to host solidarity vigils around the country. Click here for a faith vigil toolkit to learn how to host an interfaith vigil and sample media resources to amplify its coverage! For more resources, click here for a DACA mini faith toolkit. You can also connect with local undocumented youth organizations and immigrants rights groups.

ONLINE ACTION THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA Please tweet @realDonaldTrump and your Senators/Representatives. The email suggests several messages, among them:

  • We are called to #LoveThyNeighbor + welcome the stranger. @realDonaldTrump Dreamers deserve our protection #DefendDACA #Faith4DACA
  • .@realDonaldTrump Ending DACA= loss of $460.3 B from GDP over 10 years + removal of 685,000 workers from economy. #DefendDACA #Faith4DACA
  • .@realDonaldTrump Faith communities continue to fight to #DefendDACA #Faith4DACA DefendDACA.com
  • People of faith call on @realDonaldTrump to #defendDACA + the 800,000 immigrant youth it protects #DefendDACA #Faith4DACA
  • My faith community stands with DACAmented immigrant neighbors & call on Congress + @realDonaldTrump to #defendDACA #Faith4DACA
  • At least 72% of the top 25 Fortune 500 companies employ DACA beneficiaries https://www.americanprogress.org/?p=437956#DefendDACA #Faith4DACA @realDonaldTrump 

WRITE AN OPINION EDITORIAL IN SUPPORT OF DACA Please click here for template Op-Eds that you can localize and add personal stories. See a recent Op-Ed in Baltimore Sun by local bishops, and others at www.interfaithimmigration.org/issues/dream-act/.

KNOW & SHARE THE MESSAGE TO DEFEND DACA & TPS Faith leaders: Sign on to this letter by Friday, Sept. 1 to support TPSFor DACA recipients: 5 Things You Should Know1,000+ faith leaders support DACAOver 1,300 Catholic educators support DACA

More information is available at http://defenddaca.com/