The decision to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) by President Trump means we need to act now and reach out to members of Congress so that they understand the critical need to create a legal permanent solution for undocumented youth and young adults. You can join an interfaith effort by signing on to the following letter from faith leaders, Interfaith Dream Act Sign On Letter. The Dream Act has the power to protect over 1.5 million undocumented members of our community who arrived in the United States as children. This is the only home they have ever known. As their friends, allies,and faith leaders, it is our responsibility to do what we can to lift their voices and advocate for their safety.
You can see letters written by the Rev. Dr. J Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in response to the termination of DACA:
To the President of the United States
At this moment, a higher level of engagement is required of us: we are happy to invite you to organize a Dream Sabbath in your congregation. The Dream Sabbath enlists churches, synagogues and mosques across the U.S. to dedicate time during or around their regular weekly worship service to a conversation about the Dream Act. While we encourage you to host Dream Sabbath events until the Dream Act is enacted, we hope to create a lot of noise by hosting as many as possible before the end of October 2017. Make sure to put your event on the map at bit.ly/DreamSabbathMap.
Download the full guide to hosting a Dream Sabbath HERE–> Dream-Sabbath-2017-4-FINAL-09.108.17
Take a moment to reflect on you community’s capacity, resources, and members. What type of Dream Sabbath event would animate both their passion for this subject and their best skillset? Here are some suggestions:
- Dedicate a Worship Service to having DREAMers share their stories
- Organize a Vigil, March, or Public Demonstration
- Plan a Press Conference Visit to a local, state, or national politician
- Host a Know Your Rights training
- Organize your congregation to volunteer for a local immigrant rights organization