Auxiliary Bishop Mario Dorsonville of Washington, chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Migration, called on Congress to enact a “permanent solution for all Dreamers” that would “ensure the full integration of this population.”
“Today marks ten years since the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was created through executive action,” the bishops’ conference said on June 15. “DACA allows certain undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as children—commonly referred to as ‘Dreamers’—to remain in the country, subject to several requirements.”
“DACA does not provide legal status, nor does it create a pathway to citizenship, but it does temporarily protect recipients from removal and make them eligible for work authorization, among other benefits,” the USCCB continued. “DACA was declared unlawful by a federal district court in July 2021, halting new applications and threatening protection for current beneficiaries of the program.”