Sister Simone Responds to Senate Inaction on DACA Fix

For Immediate Release: February 15, 2018
Contact: Ashley Wilson, awilson@networklobby.org, 202-601-7856
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to the failure of the U.S. Senate to reach a legislative fix on DACA, Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, released the following:

“This is a sad day for Dreamers, their families, and our nation.

“NETWORK has been advocating for a bipartisan solution to provide protection for Dreamers prior to the termination of DACA.  Late last night, it appeared that a significant number of Senate Democrats and Republicans had reached a compromise. The proposal was flawed, but it would have provided a much-needed pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. We were cautiously hopeful.

“President Trump’s announcement that he opposed the compromise and his threats to members of his own party if they voted for the measure made his motive clear: his claims to support a solution for Dreamers are patently untrue.  Trump and his accomplices are using this manufactured crisis to radically alter our current legal immigration system, break up families, and build a militarized zone at the border.

“While the Democrats and some Republicans entered into negotiations in a good faith effort to provide critical protections, the White House and Republican leaders have acted in bad faith.  President Trump created this mess by recklessly terminating the DACA program and President Trump once again killed the only viable solution on the table to date.

“While this is a setback, the Catholic Sisters and activists of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice will continue to push on and find a way to protect our Dreamers. It is wrong that young people who attended U.S. schools, contribute to our workplaces, and worship in our communities are going to be vulnerable to deportation.

“Our faith calls us to love our neighbor. Dreamers are our neighbors and their home is here. This crisis is not going away, and neither will NETWORK’s commitment to Dreamers.

“Congress, you must solve this problem.  Get to work.”

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NETWORK – advocates for justice inspired by Catholic sisters – educates, organizes, and lobbies for economic and social transformation. They have a 45-year track record of lobbying for critical federal programs that support those at the margins and prioritize the common good. www.networklobby.org