Bishops urge affirmative vote on DREAM Act to give conditional legal status to undocumented youth
Episcopal News Service. September 20, 2010 [092010-02]
Pat McCaughan
Ninety-six Episcopal Church bishops have sent a message to the U.S. Congress seeking approval of the Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act, which is scheduled for a Senate vote on Sept. 21 and would give conditional legal status to the children of undocumented persons if they complete two years of college or the military.
The bishops have signed a letter in support of the DREAM Act that has been sent to the Senate and the House of Representatives, according to Ana White, immigration and refugee analyst for the Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations in Washington, D.C.
"I'm happy to say we have already received some response from people on the Hill," added White, who was participating in a panel discussion about immigration issues at a Sept. 17 gathering of the bishops' spouses and partners of bishops, held in conjunction with the House of Bishops' Sept. 16-21 meeting in Phoenix. The House of Bishops is expected to address immigration issues Sept. 21 at the conclusion of its annual fall gathering in Phoenix.
An estimated 135 bishops and 87 spouses and partners are attending the annual fall gathering in Phoenix. Prior to the meeting, a group of about 60 bishops and spouses visited the U.S.-Mexico border for three days to experience first hand the complexity of the nation's immigration issues.
"It's stunning to see the amount of support from the church for something that is such a necessity," White said, adding "we did something really great today."
The DREAM Act first was proposed about nine years ago, but gained little traction in Congress. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is facing a tough re-election bid in Nevada, resurrected the bipartisan measure, tacking it as an amendment onto a military authorization bill.
Bishop Suffragan Jim Curry of Connecticut had asked the bishops to consider signing onto a letter, as part of a national interfaith campaign to garner support for it.
Additionally, Bishop Barry Beisner of Northern California said bishops also were asked to telephone their congressional representatives to urge support of the measure.
Bishop Brian N. Prior of the Diocese of Minnesota said he signed the letter and also "sent a letter to folks in my diocese encouraging their consideration to do the same thing and if they were so motivated to contact our legislative people as well."
The bishops said in the letter that the Episcopal Church's General Convention passed a resolution in 2009 (B006) advocating for "conditional legal status for undocumented youth who arrived as infants and/or children and have grown up in our communities and schools, providing for them the opportunity to pursue higher education and/or serve the United States so that they can become full contributing members of our communities and could eventually become U.S. citizens."
It also called for a moratorium on roadside checkpoints and raids carried out by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at workplaces, community gatherings, places of worship, private residences and elsewhere. It sought alternatives to prison-like detention centers for undocumented persons apprehended by law-enforcement agencies and called for a return of immigration-law enforcement to federal agencies, not local authorities.
"We have the opportunity to make the dream a reality for thousands of immigrant children in this country. The time is now to join the voices of other faith groups in our support to the DREAM Act," the letter continued.
The bipartisan DREAM Act, as introduced by Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah and Democratic Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois in 2001, would offer undocumented youth a six-year conditional path to citizenship, requiring completion of a college degree or two years of military service.
In 2007, Hatch, along with Republican Senator Bob Bennett of Utah, attempted to add the act to the defense-authorization bill -- the same move Reid is currently proposing.
However, Hatch has said he will vote against the measure this time. "The American people want the government to secure our borders, create jobs and reduce the deficit," Hatch told the Washington Independent recently.
Advocates view the DREAM Act as a major step toward comprehensive reform that would create a pathway to citizenship for most undocumented immigrants. The bill also has the support of labor unions and major corporations and universities.
To be eligible for the DREAM Act, undocumented persons must be aged 12 to 35 at the time the bill is enacted. They must have arrived in the U.S. before age 16 and have lived there for five years consecutively since their arrival. They must also demonstrate "good moral character" such as a clean criminal record and earn a U.S. high school diploma or GED.
A July 2010 report by the non-partisan Migration Policy Institute indicated that about 2.1 million unauthorized immigrant youth and young adults would be eligible to apply for legal status under the DREAM Act. But the report added that only about 825,000 would eventually gain citizenship, in part because of educational barriers.