STATEMENT
ON PRESIDENT OBAMA’S EXECUTIVE ORDER ON IMMIGRATION REFORM
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Stated
Clerk, the Rev. Gradye Parsons last night reacted to the President’s announcement
of deferred action for the undocumented parents of citizen and legal resident
children:
“Tonight the
prayers of millions have been answered. Soon many of our neighbors will no
longer be at risk of deportation. Still, we lament for those who will not gain
relief from this program. This church will stand with those that qualify for
relief as they enter the process and we will also continue to stand with those
still at risk of deportation by visiting them in detention, protecting them in
our sanctuaries and by praying and pressing for broader and more lasting relief
through comprehensive immigration reform.”
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is
thankful that President Obama’s executive order, which stands in a long,
bipartisan tradition of executive authority protecting vulnerable populations
of immigrants. This action will allow undocumented immigrants who are parents
of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents to register with the federal
government. These persons, if approved, will receive a three-year period of protection
from deportation and permission to work. This action also expands eligibility
for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to an additional
300,000 young people. Although the President’s plan will not make beneficiaries
eligible for U.S. citizenship or green cards, their ability to work and feed
their families, while providing livelihoods for themselves, is an extraordinary
move forward from the current immigration policies. It is estimated that this
action will benefit some five million people and their families.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
has consistently called for the protection of family unity in immigration
policy and for comprehensive immigration reform. The 206th General
Assembly (1994) adopted the “Call
to Presbyterians to Recommit to Work and Pray for a Just and Compassionate U.S.
Immigration Policy.” Again, in 1999, 2004, 2010, 2012, and 2014
Presbyterians, through General Assembly actions and guided by theological and
ethical principles, continued to call for a commitment from both Presbyterians
and the government to work toward welcoming immigrants into communities and
providing just laws that affect those who live and work in the United States.
“We
believe that the President's executive order is a step in the right direction,” said the Reverend J. Herbert Nelson, PC(USA) Director for
Public Witness, “however it does not
fully address our commitment to comprehensive immigration reform. We will
continue to call for major reform of U.S. immigration policies that will
provide a viable path to citizenship for all immigrants in the United States,
including the 11 million undocumented neighbors currently living and working
the shadows.”
The President’s action provides a new foundation on which Congress
must build. The Rev. Nelson continued by calling on Congress take the
President’s lead by “enacting meaningful,
comprehensive reform that provides a pathway to citizenship, enacts the DREAM
Act, demilitarizes the borders, and protects family unity. Today, we are not
where God will eventually take us, but the President’s action moves us closer
to our vision for one nation, under God indivisible with liberty and justice
for all.”