To the Editor,
As leaders of diverse faith communities we are writing with one voice that transcends all the differences in our theologies and personal opinions. When President Trump ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, this action crushed the dreams of nearly a million young people covered by the executive order. These young people, brought to the United States by their parents, have done everything our government has asked of them. They have completed multiple applications, paid hundreds if not thousands of dollars during re-application processes, complied with every request for information, followed our laws, and have become tax-paying students and/or employees.
The short-term fate of this new generation of young people is six months in limbo not knowing what their future holds for them. Six months, while Congress attempts to accomplish what has proven impossible for over a decade, pass immigration reform, is such a short time in the life of these young people who have known no other home, have called no other country the promise of their futures. Yet, in six months our government could very well deport these young people and alter their lives forever.
The actions of our government in this situation must be guided by heart. While Congress once again struggles to complete a comprehensive overhaul of our immigration program, immediate action must be taken to protect those already covered by the DACA program. It is time for we Americans to show through our elected representatives that we are a people of compassion and that we do indeed respect the worth and dignity of all human beings.
As religious leaders and people of faith we remain steadfast in our commitment to upholding the dignity of all persons, to speaking up when and where we see injustice perpetrated against any person, and to safeguarding the fundamental right of all to live free from fear in the nation founded on that promise.
Rev. Bev Waring, Unitarian Universalist Congregational Society of Westborough
Deacon Beth Washburn, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
Rev. John Taylor, First United Methodist Church
Mary Taber, executive director of the Pastoral Counseling Centers of MA, Inc
Rabbi Michael Swarttz, Beth Tikvah Synagogue
Rev. Paul Sangree, Congregational Church of Westborough, UCC
Rev. Elizabeth Kubota, First United Methodist Church
Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz, Congregation B’Nai Shalom
Rev. Jeffrey Goodrich, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Rev. Elaine S. Gaetani, Congregational Church of Westborough, UCC
Msgr. Michael Foley, Saint Luke the Evangelist parish
Rabbi Joe Eiduson, Congregation B’nai Shalom
Rev. Jesse W. Abell, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church