CDP Statement on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals)

We Sisters of Divine Providence of San Antonio, Texas join our voice with the many women religious around the United States represented by the LCWR (Leadership Conference of Women Religious) in urging Congress to immediately take up and pass the bipartisan Dream Act of 2017.

The Congregation of Divine Providence has been in Texas since 1866. We have long worked with the immigrant Church in the South and Southwest of our country. We continue to stand with the immigrant population of our country and seek a path to lawful citizenship for those willing to work in order to provide safety and security for their families.

Our Chapter statement of 2017 calls us to “hear the cry of pain and anguish of the poor, immigrants, women, and Earth; to be present as neighbor to all in need; and to act with courage and collaborate with others to heal what is broken and celebrate what is good in our world.”

Upon hearing of the action by President Trump in regards to DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), we are moved to continue working for protections for the young people called Dreamers who came here with their families. They are our neighbors and should not be forced to live in the shadows, fearful of needless deportations.

More than 800,000 young people, several of them students and graduates of the university that was founded by our Congregation, Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU), have benefitted from DACA and so has our nation. Brought to the United States as young children, many DACA recipients have no memory of their home countries. They have lived, studied and worked or enlisted to serve in the military in the U.S. after going through very thorough screening for DACA eligibility. This has become their country and they have contributed to it.

The OLLU graduates who are DACA recipients are working as accountants, educators, psychologists, social workers and in many other fields. They are productive, contributing members of our communities.

Most DACA recipients work during their time as students and pay taxes. With the end of DACA, these young people will lose their deferred status and employment authorization. The investments made in their education will be lost to our community, and their lives will be in disarray.

We ask you please to join us by contacting your Congressional leaders and urging them to support or co-sponsor the Dream Act.

Call or write your Representatives/Senators directly:

Find contact information for your Representative at http://www.house.gov/representatives/find

Find contact information for your Senator at https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/

APPROVED BY THE GENERAL COUNCIL OF THE CONGREGATION OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2017.