As a 72-year old humanitarian organization representing 37 Protestant, Anglican, and Orthodox communions and 22 refugee resettlement offices across the country, Church World Service (CWS) urges all Members of Congress to support the Uniting and Securing America (USA) Act (S.___ / H.R.4796), introduced by Senators McCain (R-AZ) and Coons (D-DE) and Representatives Hurd (R-TX) and Aguilar (D-CA). The need to pass a permanent, legislative solution for as many dreamers as possible is urgent, as more than 18,500 DACA recipients have already lost their protections since September 2017 – a figure that will skyrocket the longer Congress fails to act.
The USA Act would offer a path to citizenship for DACA recipients and dreamers who entered the United States as minors and have been continuously present since December 31, 2013. Dreamers are immigrant youth who are parents and doctors; they serve in the military and as police officers; they rescued, and died rescuing, Harvey flood victims; and they teach our children in our schools. 91% of Dreamers are employed, pay taxes, and contribute to Social Security. The average age dreamers entered the United States is 6 years old. Some don’t even speak the language of the country where they were born. Like the bipartisan Dream Act – which has broad support from the faith community, state and local elected leaders, business leaders, and faith and secular educators – the USA Act would provide the pathway to citizenship that would treat dreamers with the dignity they deserve.
The USA Act would also address the root causes of forced migration by authorizing $1.04 billion in fiscal year 2018 for El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala to strengthen the rule of law, combat corruption and narcotics trafficking, and address underlying causes of poverty. Children, families, women, and men are fleeing violence, gang conscription, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation in these countries. Since 2005, in Honduras alone, murders of women and girls have increased by 346 percent, and murders of men and boys have grown by 292 percent. Importantly, this bill recognizes these trends as a refugee and humanitarian crisis by conditioning a percentage of assistance on these governments’ efforts to combat corruption, strengthen rule of law, and address smuggling, screening, and the safety of migrants. We know that migration is a symptom of deeper social and economic issues, including violence, insecurity, and unequal social and economic conditions. Because of this, the USA Act is a step toward a more long-term approach to responding to conditions that compel migration.
The USA Act would require a comprehensive border security strategy, address the use of technology at the border, and offer a data-driven approach to border security. CWS commends this bipartisan approach that is narrowly tailored to protect dreamers, invest in smart technologies, and realize accountable border enforcement. This bill would also increase the number of immigration judges. CWS calls on judge teams to adjudicate asylum cases and claims for immigration relief on a case-by-case basis that complies with due process and does not return people to harm. While we do not endorse all of the enforcement related provisions in this bill, such as Operation Stonegarden that encourages state and local law enforcement to serve as federal immigration officers, we believe that this bill overall is a step in the right direction in moving toward a solution.
CWS appreciates that the USA Act does not violate the sanctity of family unity, nor create a permanent underclass of our immigrant brothers and sisters. The family unit is the foundation of our nation. Proposals to curtail family reunification visas, like the White House framework or H.R.4760, the Securing America’s Future Act, are part of a dangerous narrative seeking to redefine the concept of the family. Families are the cornerstone of a community, as they are what holds us together. As such, immigrant families must not be manipulated and used as bargaining chips in a misleading and misguided attempt to characterize immigration as “zero-sum.” Family reunification leads to successful, strong American families, and adult children, brothers, and sisters often provide the support structure that helps run small businesses, meet child care needs, and foster integration. Proposals that dismantle opportunities for family reunification are diametrically opposed to who we are as communities of faith. To prevent family unification would not only devastate individual’s lives, it would turn our backs as a nation to our collective future and invalidate our claim to prioritize family values.
As communities of faith, we are united by principles of compassion, stewardship, and justice. What we need are real solutions and immigration policies that offer a pathway to citizenship for as many dreamers as possible without compromising family unity or other immigrant communities. CWS urges all Members of Congress to support the USA Act and to pursue immigration policies that treat our neighbors with the dignity and respect all people deserve.