WASHINGTON (CNS) — The U.S. bishops support efforts in Congress “to fully integrate hard-working ‘Dreamers’ and TPS holders” into the U.S., said Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas.
“We need a permanent legislative solution for those who have spent their lives contributing and living in the United States, the country they know as home,” the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration said in a statement released late April 10.
Bishop Vasquez endorsed two pieces of legislation under consideration in the Senate. The first is the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2019, or DREAM Act (S. 874). The name “Dreamers” is taken from the bill’s title and refers to the young adults who were brought by their parents to the U.S. illegally as children and remain in the country under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.
The second bill relates to TPS holders –TPS stands for Temporary Protected Status — and those protected under Deferred Enforced Departure, or DED. The measure is the Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression & Emergency Act of 2019, or the SECURE Act (S. 879).
“Dreamers and TPS holders are vital members of our community who are going to school, working to make our communities better and raising families,” Bishop Vasquez said.
Editor’s Note: Read the full text of Bishops Vasquez’s letters to U.S. Senators on the DREAM Act and the SECURE Act.