Speaking through a full-page advertisement in The New York Times, more than 100 bishops have pleaded for the preservation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
“As bishops of the Episcopal Church we implore you not to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA,” says the ad, supported by 125 active and retired bishops. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and his two living predecessors are among the ad’s supporters. “To do so would endanger the lives of thousands of young people and their families and run contrary to the faith and moral traditions of our country.”
The letter continues:
It is unfair to threaten the well-being of young people who arrived in our country as children through no choice of their own. Ending DACA without a similar replacement program will force these young people to face the future in this country with little access to education and employment, and ultimately, could very well lead to sending them to countries where they did not grow up, have few support structures, may not even speak the language and may be vulnerable to violence and persecution.
Any of these scenarios, we believe, is cruel.
The full text follows.
Biretta tip: Diocese of New York
Episcopal Bishops on DACA by TheLivingChurchdocs on Scribd
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
