Washington D.C., Sep 21, 2007 / 09:31 am
The United States bishops are calling on Congress to vote in favor of the DREAM Act.
The DREAM Act would provide young people, who were brought by their parents to the United States at an early age and have undocumented status, a way to regularize their status and obtain permanent residency. It also would allow states to give them eligibility for in-state tuition.
In a Sept. 19 statement, Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando urged elected officials to “resist the voices of dissension and fear this time and vote for the DREAM Act.”
”As a provider of education to thousands of children and young adults nationwide, the Catholic Church has witnessed the suffering of young persons who, through no fault of their own, reside in an undocumented status and are denied access to legal status in this country and an opportunity to continue their education,” said Bishop Wenski, a consultant to the bishops’ Committee on Migration.