12/21/2017
Reverend Monsignor J. Brian Bransfield, General Secretary; CNS Issue Alerts Highlighting DACA.

USCCB Position

Migration and Refugee Parish toolkit - Archidiocese of Dubuque.

 

Yesterday, the chancery hosted a press conference to urge government officials to create protections for DACA recipients. There are 2,000 DACA recipients living, working, studying, and flourishing in Iowa alone. These are folks in our neighborhoods, companies, classrooms, and churches. They are valued members of our communities, and we all have the responsibility to work for the good of our communities.

Take action and sign here: https://secure.everyaction.com/PiirlEjXGkOEOdUOBUP60Q2
Watch the full press conference here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZNIrX3mgAQ

We gather some facts and data to help you understand that this program means to people who achieved DACA status.

 The Diocesan Immigration Office continues to provide services to clients remotely during COVID-19 Pandemic.  

June 15 marks ten years since the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was created through executive action. This gave hope to many undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.  Read more here.

Urge congress to move forward with a permanent solution.
 

December 2020 DACA updates Video below (Spanish and English) courtesy of Catholic Charities of Dubuque. 

The Diocesan Immigration Office continues to provide services to clients remotely during COVID-19 Pandemic.  

Please continue to call our office and leave a detailed voice mail message as we are checking messages regularly.  Please be sure to leave your first and last name and a good phone number where you can be reached.  Also please note that  USCIS will be rescheduling any appointments and clients will be notified by mail.
 
If you have an urgent matter and need immediate assistance inquiring about a case, please contact your local congressional representative’s office.

MAKE YOUR VOICE BE HEARD: 

DACA was  allowed  to continue, the Administration can still attempt to end DACA at a later date.  For now DACA immigrant youth are safe, but they could be at risk for deportation in the future. We must not allow this to happen and take action now.

Iowa Catholic Conference Action Alerts                         

530 - 42nd Street
Des Moines, IA 50312
Phone: 515-243-6256

On June 15, 2012, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a memorandum allowing individuals who came to the U.S. as children and met certain guidelines to apply for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).  Those who went through the vetting process and were approved for DACA were able to obtain a Social Security Card and work permit.

Who qualified for DACA? There were specific requirements that applicants had to meet in order to be considered for DACA. Immigrants must: have been under 31 before DACA was announced; have come to the U.S. before their 16th birthday; have continuously resided in the U.S. from June 15, 2007, have been in the U.S. both on June 15, 2012, and at the time of their request; currently be in school, have graduated from high school or obtained a GED, or be an honorably discharged military veteran; and have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, or otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety.  Documentation is required.  If approved, DACA recipients were deferred from deportation for two years (renewable) and could receive employment authorization to work in the U.S.  Participants paid a fee of $495 initially and at renewal.

Recipients of DACA: Currently, the DACA program includes 790,077 undocumented immigrants – about 80 percent born in Mexico. At this time, 2,936 DACA recipients live in Iowa and 42,376 live in Illinois, the third highest number after California and Texas.

DHS will phase out the DACA Program in six months: Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that DHS will phase out the program over a period of six months, giving Congress a short window to implement a legislative fix.  DHS stopped accepting new DACA requests immediately and will consider pending applications on a case-by-case basis. The department will also individually consider renewal requests from current beneficiaries whose participation will expire by March 5, 2018, if the request is submitted by October 5 of this year.  All other applications outside these parameters will be rejected.  Attorney General Sessions said that DACA recipients would not be immediate targets for deportation, but they are subject to the same enforcement as all undocumented.  It is unknown what will happen to DACA recipients in the military, as questions on that issue were directed to the Department of Defense.


1.  DACA means Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a deferment of deportation for those who as children had little say in the decision to come to this country.  Those who met the requirements, which included freedom from any criminal activity, received the “special” privilege of being able to work and pay taxes.  DACA recipients are not entitled to welfare, school subsidies, Pell Grants, housing, “food stamps” or other benefits.
 
2.  DACA participants cannot become citizens.  There is no line, no path for that.
 
3. Rather than law breakers, DACA participants were minors who simply accompanied their parents.  In this country, the law does not normally punish children for the acts of their parents.
 
4.  Given the chance to work and to put themselves through school, many DACA recipients are now or are becoming nurses, paramedics, teachers, or US military personnel. They typically become solid workers who support Social Security and other benefits for U.S. born citizens through the taxes they pay.
 
5.  DACA is not “amnesty” as the participants receive no special benefits, but their efforts result in taxes being paid to support all of us (American Citizens). 

Catholic Legal Immigration Network. Inc.

• Covit-19

• Frequently Asked Questions.

• Memorandum.

• Know your Rights: A collection of Resources.

• Know your Rights: A guide to workplace rights for immigrants.

• LegalServices Directory.

• Daca Renewal Scholarships (Mission Assets Fund)

• USCCB President and Migration Committee Welcome Supreme Court Decision on DACA and Urge President to Uphold the Program (June 2020)

• Tips to communicate with Federal and State Legislators.