President Obama issued an Executive Order today giving hope to young people who were brought to the US as children. New York Times reports:
The policy, effective immediately, will apply to people who are currently no more than 30 years old, who arrived in the country before they turned 16 and have lived in the United States for five years. They must also have no criminal record, and have earned a high school diploma, be in school or have served in the military.
These qualifications resemble in some ways those of the so-called Dream Act, a measure blocked by Congress in 2010 that was geared to establish a path toward citizenship for certain young illegal immigrants. The administration’s action on Friday, which stops deportations but does not offer citizenship or even permanent legal status, was a policy directive from the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration enforcement, and does not require legislation.
Sojourners emailed supporters today
Today the Obama administration announced that many young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children will be eligible for work permits — allowing them to come out of the shadows of looming deportation.
In response to the announcement, Jim Wallis said:
“The announcement from the White House today is very good news for nearly 1 million young people who have a dream of staying in the country where they have lived most of their lives. Instead of being placed in the deportation pipeline, they will receive work permits, enabling them to contribute to the nation and help build America’s future.”
This week a very broad and deep group of evangelical leaders called on the political leaders of both parties to fix the U.S.’s broken immigration system and protect “the stranger” whom Christ calls us to defend (Matthew 25:35). We believe our faithful witness, alongside the courage and perseverance of thousands of documented and undocumented youth, helped made today’s announcement a reality.
Show your support for this action through the Episcopal Public Policy Network where you can send a letter to thank Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.
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There are plenty of resolutions passed by GC that not everyone supports. It doesn’t mean much to me
Fine, can’t please everybody.
… or to the average Episcopalian.
Waitaminnit. The Episcopal Church functions through GC as representative democracy. If you’re going to charge GC w/ not reflecting “the average Episcopalian”, Nicole, you better be able to back that up w/ evidence!
JC Fisher
…who’s been in the minority via GC *plenty* of times over my lifetime. Didn’t mean GC wasn’t representing the “average Episcopalian” those times. Just not me.
I would have hoped that we had gotten past “the sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the heads of the children unto the seventh generation” stuff.
Apparently some of us still hold to it. What a pity…
People have different point of views on what is considered an “injustice”.
Being a better Christian means being the hands and feet of Jesus. Helping undocumented youth who were brought here by their parents and virtually raised as Americans, and who have little if any recollection of their home country is the right thing to do. Jesus stood up against injustice, so standing up against injustice is being a better Christian.
There are plenty of resolutions passed by GC that not everyone supports. It doesn’t mean much to me or to the average Episcopalian. Most of us are busy attending to the needs of others and trying to be better Christians, not what GC passes or don’t pass.