You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. -Exodus 23:9 NRSV

The National Council of Churches expresses deep regret over President Trump’s plan to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program put in place by President Obama in 2012. Hundreds of thousands of people brought to the United States at a young age by their parents years ago must now live in a state of fear and uncertainty. This unnecessarily creates a state of crisis for these vulnerable people.

While some consequences of the decision to end DACA are unknown at this time, those who have benefited from this program now live in the fear that they will lose jobs, educational opportunities, and will see their families torn apart.

We call upon Congress to swiftly pass legislation that will offer a pathway to citizenship for “Dreamers,” those brought to the United States by their parents as children and who have never known any other home. Congress must solve this problem that leaves as many as 800,000 people in legal limbo.

We ask our churches to get involved. Every congregation is connected to a Dreamer who now must live under the threat of deportation, and this requires responses by our churches that are both pastoral and prophetic. We urge our member communions to continue their good work of advocating on behalf of the immigrant.

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Serving as a leading voice of witness to the living Christ in the public square since 1950, the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) brings together 38 member communions and more than 40 million Christians in a common commitment to God’s love and promise of unity.

NCC News contact: Steven D. Martin: 202.412.4323 or steven.martin@nationalcouncilofchurches.us.