Religious Leaders urge Trump to defend DACA

Description: People supporting DACA
Description: People supporting DACA |

Evangelical leaders who are members of the Evangelical Immigration Table wrote to Trump urging to reconsider plans to resubmit filing to end DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

"We ask you to publicly and consistently urge congressional leaders to urgently pass legislation to create a pathway for those who arrived in the U.S. as children and who meet other necessary and appropriate qualifications to earn permanent legal status and, eventually, citizenship," the seven evangelical leaders wrote to President Trump.

The letter pleaded to President Trump to reconsider his resubmission to rescind DACA was signed by seven members of the Evangelical Immigration Table.

"Consistent with your past comments affirming your concern and 'great love' for this population, we plead with you to work toward good faith compromise that would both be compassionate to immigrants and respect the rule of law."

The signatories urged President Trump that he at least wait until after Congress passes legislation that permanently protects Dreamers, the recipients of DACA.

The Supreme Court didn't allow President Trump to rescind DACA at first, ruling that the administration failed to provide adequate justification for terminating the program. However, the court clarified that Trump nonetheless holds the authority to rescind the program nonetheless which propelled Trump to reattempt his rescission of DACA.

The Trump administration formerly succeeded in rescinding DACA back in 2017 in which Congress immediately started working towards a statutory replacement for DACA.

The seven religious leaders that signed the letter were Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief; Shirley Hoogstra, president of Council for Christian Colleges and Universities; Hyepin Im, president & CEO of Faith and Community Empowerment; Walter Kim, president of National Association of Evangelicals; Russel Moore, president of Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention; Chris Palusky, president & CEO of Bethany Christian Services; and Gabriel Salguero, president of National Latino Evangelical Coalition.