The Minnesota Catholic Conference, the self-described “public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota,” is asking Minnesota Catholics to thank their U.S. Senators for supporting “The American Dream and Promise Act of 2019.”
That bill, which passed the U.S. House in June, would provide DACA recipients with a pathway to citizenship while implementing permanent legal protections for DACA recipients, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) holders. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court is deliberating on the legality of President Donald Trump’s executive order to end the DACA program.
According to Alpha News, the Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC) recently sent an email to Catholics across the state to affirm its support of the Dream Act.
“MCC supports measures like the Dream Act, DACA, and DAPA, which aim to protect childhood arrivals from deportation while the U.S. continues to work towards comprehensive immigration reform,” said the email. “The rights and dignity of migrants should be seriously considered when crafting policy. The fact that millions of people have entered our country illegally must be tempered by the reality that our immigration system is broken, and has failed to justly respond to the needs of those fleeing perils.”
The MCC encourages Catholics to take one minute to “send a message to your U.S. Senators thanking them for their support of DACA recipients and asking them to support the ‘Dream Act of 2019.’” To do so, the MCC provides a form email on its website that Minnesota Catholics can send to their elected officials.
“As a Catholic, I stand with the U.S. Catholic Bishops and write to express my strong support for the ‘Dream Act of 2019,’” the email says. “The young people protected by this bill are contributors to our economy, veterans of our military, academic standouts in universities, and leaders in our parishes and communities. As Catholics, we have long supported Dreamers as we believe in protecting the dignity of every human being, especially that of our children.”
The form email asks U.S. Senators to “support and co-sponsor” the Dream Act and “continue to work towards larger legislative reform of our immigration laws.”
Additionally, the MCC asks Catholics to take fifteen minutes to pray the Rosary for “the intention of guidance for our elected officials that they may find resolutions that uphold human dignity and the common good.” The organization provides a guide to praying the Rosary for immigrants drafted by Justice for Immigrants, a subsidiary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
The MCC lists “migration” as one of seven of its “advocacy areas” and calls for “comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level.”
“The USCCB supported a proposal in 2014 that would’ve created a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants (which included fines and required civics education), secured our borders, and made changes in our immigration system to prioritize family unification and humanitarian relief,” the MCC’s website states.
Elsewhere on its website, the MCC affirms its support for childhood arrivals as well as driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants.
As The Minnesota Sun reported earlier this year, Archbishop Bernard Hebda spoke at a press conference with DFL legislators to vocalize his support of a “freedom to drive” bill. The bill passed the Minnesota House, but failed to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate.
“A person is not required to demonstrate United States citizenship or lawful presence in the United States in order to obtain a noncompliant driver’s license or identification card,” said the bill.
Hebda and Bishop Andrew Cozzens continued to express their support for the bill throughout the legislative session.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
