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The Catholic bishops of Texas, including Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio, have issued a statement addressing the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on the decision on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
The decision from the case of Texas v. The United States would alter the lawful presence of some 90,000 Texans who are currently protected by the DACA program.
In their statement the bishops said they fully expect that the removal of the DACA recipients “will impact virtually every community in Texas,” and they called for compassion “for those who through no fault of their own, are now being forced to abandon their homes, their livelihoods and their communities.”
In the statement, the bishops also underscored the idea that the action would also erode the “basic human right to seek work and to support a family.”
The bishops said that the country’s claim that DACA recipients somehow harm the state of Texas is unfounded and that promoting this idea is a “disruptive action” by the government that will itself damage communities by “fomenting fear, severing relationships, disrupting business and removing some of the most upstanding individuals from our community.”
Pope Leo XIV has often called for understanding and thoughtfulness—but also action—in the urgent crisis of migration. At a conference organized by Villanova University last month. He emphasized the urgent need for global solutions to the migration phenomenon that occurs worldwide and affects 100 million people. His overriding concern is on the “globalization of indifference,” a phrase first used by his predecessor Pope Francis. There are dangers, he said, in remaining “immobile, silent, and perhaps saddened” in response to the plight of innocent people.
For the bishops the actual issue is that for decades there has not been a willingness to “enact reasonable and meaningful immigration reform,” one that can advocate for a system that can respect national security alongside “the human right to work and raise a family in peace.”
They urged federal and state authorities—including agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) be properly trained and supervised.
They extended their call for compassion to law enforcement agents, too, saying that they themselves should also not experience violent actions against them or their families.
They went on to emphasize the potential implications of this decision as victimizing immigration officials and DACA recipients alike. They explained that immigration officials who are expected to consider brutal and inhumane methods as part of the apprehension of migrants, are subject then to having their own human dignity violated.
The statement concluded with a message of support for immigrant communities—especially those who arrived as children. “We have heard your cries,” the statement said. “We are with you in these difficult days.”
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