Jewish leaders in the Valley are reacting to the decision by President Donald Trump to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program over the next six months.
“The president’s rescinding of DACA is deeply disappointing but not surprising,” said Rabbi John Linder of Temple Solel in Paradise Valley. “It affects 800,000 Dreamers, diminishes the soul of our country and puts all of these young people and their families into a period of uncertainty and great fear for their lives moving forward.”
Those affected by DACA have been dubbed Dreamers as a result of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act , or DREAM Act. The bill was first introduced in the Senate in 2001 and has been reintroduced several more times, but has failed to pass.
DACA has enabled undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. before the age of 16 to obtain driver’s licenses, enroll in college and legally work in the U.S. According to a study by the Department of Homeland Security released in March, 787,580 people have been approved to receive DACA benefits since the Obama administration authorized DACA through executive action on June 15, 2012.
“I believe these children are human beings that through no fault of their own, were brought here by their parents in search of a better life for themselves and their families,” said Rabbi Jeremy Schneider of Temple Kol Ami in Phoenix. “I have seen the faces of DACA students through various interfaith work I have done in this community and the ones I have encountered know English as their primary language, have no direct recollection of having lived outside of the U.S. and want to excel and live productive, educated and meaningful lives. Let’s not ruin their lives to score a political victory on either side.”
In a written statement rescinding DACA, Trump urged Congress to replace the program with legislation before the administration begins phasing it out on March 5, 2018.
“We call on the community to urge Congress to pass the DREAM Act of 2017. Dreamers are our neighbors, colleagues and friends,” said Carlos Galindo-Elvira, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League of Arizona. “The bi-partisan DREAM Act of 2017 is a practical and humane response to the needs of vulnerable young immigrants and would enable them to fully contribute to the communities and to the country they call home.”
Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, president of Valley Beit Midrash and founder of Arizona Jews for Justice, called the decision “an abdication of moral authority.”
“They are our neighbors, our friends, our future,” Yanklowitz added. “They have done nothing wrong, except to have been brought to this nation by their parents.”
In anticipation of the decision, Yanklowitz took part in an interfaith prayer vigil held on Monday in front of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in Phoenix.
Yanklowitz explained why he thinks the Jewish community should be particularly sensitive to the plight of the Dreamers.
“The Jewish community knows more than most the pain of living in fear, as living as the ‘other.’ This new order is unacceptable for a civil society,” he said, adding, “I call on the Jewish community to do their patriotic duty to call/write/fax their elected representative and forcefully urge them to be on the right side of history and pass legislation offering relief to Dreamers and their families in addition to issuing comprehensive immigration reform. It is the moral thing to do, and the Jewish thing to do.” JN