Los Angeles, Calif., Jul 24, 2017 / 14:02 pm
Too many young people are threatened with deportation because their parents brought them to the U.S. without documentation, and Congress needs to pass the Dream Act to help them, Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles has said.
The proposed legislation "would permanently lift the threat of deportation that right now hangs over the heads of more than one million young people who were brought to this country illegally or are living in the homes of undocumented parents," Archbishop Gomez said July 21.
"We are talking about people who have grown up in this country since they were young children. America is all they know," he said. They are presently in "limbo", without any legal status even as they work, go to college, and serve in the armed forces.
"It is long past time for us to welcome these young immigrants as citizens and give them the opportunities they need to flourish and to help our country grow. A just and compassionate society cannot continue to punish innocent children for the mistakes of their parents."