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Faith Leaders Urge Supreme Court to Consider DACA Case Decision in Light of COVID-19

BY ISN STAFF | March 28, 2020

Washington, DC – On March 27, lawyers for Batalla Vidal, et al., No. 18-589, one of the DACA cases under consideration at the U.S. Supreme Court, filed a letter asking the Court to consider how the COVID-19 global health pandemic would impact DACA recipients and their families. The Ignatian Solidarity Network, as a member of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, urges the Supreme Court to heed these words and delay a decision on DACA until it considers the current national and global reality and full ramifications of any decision.

One of the issues before the Supreme Court is whether the Trump Administration considered all the relevant consequences of the impact on the public of DACA termination before it made its decision to eliminate the program. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharp relief how high the stakes are for families if the Court lets the Trump administration do what it wants, however it wants.

DACA, Supreme Court, COVID-19

“The  COVID-19 epidemic is affecting everyone, including DACA recipients and their families,” shared José Arnulfo Cabrera, Director of Education and Advocacy for Migration at the Ignatian Solidarity Network. “The Supreme Court should delay its ruling on DACA, and the U.S. government should extend our work permits.”

Giovana Oaxaca Najera, a DACA recipient and Government Relations Associate at NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice said: “In the midst of a national emergency, and at a time when so little is certain about the scale of the public health crisis, a decision on DACA now would be incomprehensible and immoral. It would jeopardize the life and livelihood of not just DACA recipients, but communities all over. The crisis has brought into sharp relief the inequities in access to healthcare and assistance available to marginalized communities, and especially immigrants. The Supreme Court must take into consideration the full repercussions and consequences of a decision at this time.”

“Now is not the time to inject more stress and uncertainty into these young families’ lives. The Trump administration should extend DACA work permits for two years, and the U.S. Supreme Court should delay its decision until the COVID-19 crisis is past and our communities can recover and ultimately rule in favor of DACA recipients,” said Faith Willams, Associate Director, Government Relations & Advocacy, National Council of Jewish Women, Inc. and Co-Chair of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition.

Through the stories of DACA recipients, ISN’s Faces of DACA campaign urges the Jesuit and broader Catholic network to better understand the gravity of what is at stake in this moment for DACA recipients and for our country. Learn more here. 

For more resources for prayer, solidarity, and action in the time of COVID-19, visit ISN’s Coronavirus Resources page.

1 reply
  1. Dr.Cajetan Coelho
    Dr.Cajetan Coelho says:

    All lives are precious. Even tiny little invisible viruses need to be fought on a war-footing.

    Reply

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