WASHINGTON D.C. (Mennonite Church USA) — A delegation of 17 faith leaders plan to gather in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 26-28 to address concerns with immigration and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
“There has never been a more important time to bring faith leaders to Washington, D.C. to speak about the effects of U.S. immigration policy on their communities and to urge members of Congress to treat immigrants with more compassion and dignity,” said Tammy Alexander, senior legislative associate for MCC U.S.
The MCC Washington office will spend a day hosting the group to review current immigration legislation, refine talking points for legislative meetings and discuss broader advocacy opportunities for churches. The following day, the faith leaders will meet with their respective U.S. legislators — 16 senators and 14 representatives.
The delegation represents eight states across the U.S and includes 14 pastors and leaders from MC USA, as well as leaders from the Brethren in Christ and the U.S. Mennonite Brethren denominations. MC USA previously sent a delegation to Washington D.C. on May 14-15, 2013.
“Working with the MCC Washington DC Office to organize a second delegation of MC USA leaders gives the church a chance to share our stories as both immigrants and leaders,” said Iris de León-Hartshorn, who serves as director of Transformative Peacemaking for MC USA and helped coordinate the delegation as a continued response to MC USA’s 2014 Churchwide Statement on Immigration. “My hope and prayer is that hearts will be open to hear the stories and have the moral courage to do what is right.”
One timely issue this delegation will address is DACA, the immigration policy that impacts people without legal status who entered the country as minors. The Trump administration announced on September 5, 2017 that new applicants will no longer be accepted for DACA and set an end date for the program of March 5, 2018. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Website, USCIS is not accepting new DACA applications, but they will continue to accept renewal applications for the program and are operating under the DACA terms in place before Sept. 5, due to federal court orders.
“More and more families are being torn apart without DACA protection for thousands of Dreamers,” said de León-Hartshorn. “Some of these dreamers are in our congregations, some are pastors, some are caregivers for our loved ones, some work in the fields before the sun even rises to make sure food is provided, some are our doctors and teachers in our children’s schools.”
To learn more about MC USA’s work and suggested actions that can be taken regarding immigration, visit MC USA’s resources on immigration justice and find opportunities to support this important work.