Click here for a recording of today’s call.
RALEIGH — North Carolina faith and community leaders on a press call today appealed to Congress to pass a permanent legislative solution for Dreamers.
Speakers discussed why members of Congress must craft a bipartisan bill that keeps our country secure and allows hundreds of thousands of young immigrants to continue living and working in the U.S.
Congress has 25 days to agree on a solution before March 5, President Trump’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) end date, after which the number of individuals losing work permits and protection from deportation will increase sharply as their deferred action expires.
The following are quotes from participants on today’s call:
Kacey Grantham, Executive Director, Golden Door Scholars, Charlotte:
“Golden Door Scholars has helped 258 high-performing DACA recipients attend colleges and universities across the nation. Our students are really incredible and invaluable members of their collegiate and corporate communities, and they’re scared right now. Deporting them would be a huge loss for them and their families, but also for us. Dreamers play active and critical roles in our communities and our businesses. It’s really important from multiple angles that we protect these Dreamers with a permanent legislative solution.”
Walter Strickland, 1st Vice President, Southern Baptist Convention, Wake Forest:
“As evangelicals we believe that all immigrants are made in the image of God and we must treat them with the utmost dignity. This comes from the Old Testament and the New Testament alike. We are especially at this juncture concerned about the future of Dreamers because they offer so much to our country. It is time for Congress to act and to seize the moment. The constituents that I represent overwhelmingly support a permanent legislative solution for Dreamers.”
Ali Noorani, Executive Director, National Immigration Forum:
“This is a significant moment for these young people. Already about 17,000 Dreamers have lost their protection since last September, and this number will continue to grow until a legislative solution has passed. The North Carolina delegation is important for advancing a bipartisan compromise, and we urge them, as well as all members of Congress and the administration, to move forward on a bipartisan compromise to protect Dreamers.”