(June 19, 2020 – Syracuse, NY) — The more than 300 Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities extend our gratitude to the Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down President Trump’s effort to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and deport more than 700,000 people brought to this country as infants and young children by undocumented parents. The Court’s ruling safeguards the right of DACA recipients to continue to live and work in the U.S., the country that is their home. This is an enormous victory for the immigrant youth who are now protected from the threat of deportation.
DACA recipients have long contributed to our communities and our economy. They are teachers and engineers, specialists and essential workers of every kind. Many Dreamers, as the DACA young people are known, are involved in healthcare and are playing an important role in the fight against the coronavirus.
While we welcome the Court’s ruling, we recognize that the Supreme Court ruling is based on legal technicalities and therefore, is not a permanent solution. We call on members of Congress to move expeditiously to pass legislation that will provide lasting stability for DACA recipients as well as those with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Dreamers, their families and our communities. It is long past time to enact a Dream Act that provides a path to citizenship for these undocumented young people who arrived in the U.S. as children. The House of Representatives has already passed the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (HR 6). It is time for the Senate to do the same.
The Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities is a congregation of more than 300 vowed women religious whose mission is to treat all people as brothers and sisters and minister to those most in need with reverence, justice and compassion. Headquartered in Syracuse, New York, sisters also live in Mount Vernon, New York; Williamsville, New York; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Honolulu, Hawaii. They minister in 12 states, the District of Columbia and Peru.
