WASHINGTON, D.C. — Evangelical leaders who have served as informal advisors to President Trump joined House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairperson Michelle Lujan Grisham this afternoon to call for legislation protecting Dreamers.
Across town, the Evangelicals for Life conference kicked off with Dr. Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, underscoring that evangelical Christians’ commitment to life includes the lives of immigrants, with a particular focus on Dreamers.
“This is the week in which pro-life Americans across the country recognize the dignity and worth of every human being,” said Moore. “That ought to teach us to stand for those the rest of the world would deem invisible, no matter who they are or where they are from. Finding a bipartisan solution for Dreamers ought to be one of the least controversial aspects of statecraft in our country right now. It’s time to stop the bickering and blaming and move to a just resolution for those who have broken no laws.”
On Capitol Hill, evangelical leaders implored Congress to pass a bipartisan bill that would allow Dreamers to stay lawfully in the United States, keep their jobs, continue to contribute, and eventually earn citizenship in the country they know as home.
“Now is the time. We can’t continue to play politics with 800,000 human beings created in the image of God; it is morally reprehensible,” the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, said at a press conference.
Rodriguez is among the evangelical leaders who signed a letter last week supporting a solution for Dreamers, as well as a statement Sunday reiterating support.
“We hope and pray that [President Trump] will join the good-faith efforts of a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators to allow Dreamers to continue to work lawfully and contribute in the United States while also improving border security,” leaders wrote Sunday.
“Conservative evangelical leaders are steadfast and clear: Congress must respond to Dreamers with compassion and human dignity first and foremost,” said Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. “This is not about party or politics but about people in their churches and communities.”