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California's Roman Catholic Bishops calling for legislation protecting Dreamers

In a nation-wide call, the Catholic Church is calling on their community to pass legislation preventing the deportation of some 690,000 "Dreamers" living unauthorized in the United States.

In a letter sent to the California Congressional delegation, Bishop Jaime Soto of the Sacramento Diocese and four other California Bishops are urging leaders to take action.

In a nation-wide call, the Catholic Church is calling on their community to pass legislation preventing the deportation of some 690,000 “Dreamers” living unauthorized in the United States.

“Listen to these voices of reason this coming week. [The Dreamers] are valuable members of our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and our families,” the bishops said. “They contribute to the common good and should be part of our common future as a nation.”

On Monday, Catholics at all of California’s 1,100 parishes are being asked by church leaders to call their members of Congress to pass legislation preventing the deportation of Dreamers.

The effort is a part of the “Call-in Day to Congress.” Flyers are being passed out at every Catholic Church in the United States asking church members to contact legislators on behalf of Dreamers.

Bishop Soto said that church leaders have been cautiously looking at the currently ambiguous March 5 deadline.

President Trump set March 5, 2018, as the day of dialing back the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which offers deportation relief and permission to work for the so-called Dreamers.

However, recent injunctions filed by several U.S. courts have made the issue more complicated for now.

Courts have ordered that DACA renewals be allowed until the issue is settled. New applications for DACA status are not being accepted.

The Migration Policy Institute suggests that beginning March 5, as many as 915 people protected by DACA could lose their status.

"To say lets setup up and provide the dreamers a remedy to their situation,” Soto said. “Give them a pathway to citizenship and provide reasonable protections for their families and for other unaccompanied minors."

Efforts to pass Dreamer legislation have failed more than once in Congress. President Donald Trump has stood firm that he would not support a Dreamer bill without Democrats agreeing to build his proposed border wall.

Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, and the officers of the California Catholic Conference; President Jaime Soto, bishop of Sacramento; Vice President Kevin Vann, bishop of Orange and Secretary Robert McElroy, bishop of San Diego all signed the letter.

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