Dreamers are American in Every Way Except on Paper
/The roughly 800,000 people who have benefited from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program — more of whom live in Los Angeles than anywhere else in the country — are American in every way except on paper.
By Erwin Raphael McManus
Now the president has decided to not renew DACA, giving Congress a six-month window to find a permanent solution, through legislation, to this complicated issue. Christians throughout our country are raising their voices, calling on this administration and on Congress to set aside differences and quickly come together to ensure that these young people can continue to contribute and thrive in the country they consider their home.As a follower of Christ, I find myself with a moral imperative to speak out for these who are dependent upon us to advocate on their behalf.
While I understand and respect the importance of borders and security, those protected by this policy are worthy of our compassion and concern. This is not a question of border security — these individuals have already been in the country for many years, some for decades.We know that these individuals are not a threat to public safety: each has already passed a criminal background check as a prerequisite to being granted deferred action.They are not to be feared but embraced as immigrants who define the American spirit... READ FULL STORY AT THE CHRISTIAN POSTErwin Raphael McManus is the founder of MOSAIC, a church with locations in Hollywood, Santa Monica, and South Pasadena, and the author of The Last Arrow.