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ORANGE COUNTY FAITH LEADERS STATEMENT CONCERNING DACA:

9/22/2017

The Orange County Board of Rabbis, the Catholic Diocese of Orange, the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California and other co-signers from the faith communities call upon the Executive and Legislative branches of our government to repair the damage caused by the repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) that will result in nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children losing the legal protections and work authorization they had gained.

The Dreamers are some of our best and brightest. Like our ancestors who immigrated to this country, they are doctors, lawyers, teachers, and members of the military. They are our neighbors, our friends, and members of our communities who have contributed so much to the welfare of our county. They went public with their immigration status relying on a promise from the federal government that they would be protected. Now they are in danger.

Both the Catholic and Jewish communities know firsthand that the United States of America is a nation that was established on justice for all. As it says in the Bible [Micah 6:8], “God has told you, O mortal, what is good and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do justice, love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” We call upon our government to act justly and immediately form an immigration policy that is comprehensive, protects our security, reunites families and improves our economy while honoring our values as a nation embracing justice for all. This is a God-given moment for a bipartisan effort to protect these young immigrants through legislative action. We call on Congress to act now.

Anti-Defamation League of Orange County/Long Beach

Hussam Ayloush

Baha’i Community of Orange County

Rabbi Joel Berman

Rabbi Yisroel Ciner

Rabbi Heidi M. Cohen 

Reverend Jason Cook

Rabbi Judi Ahavah DelBourgo

Amy Deras

Reverend Kent Doss

Rabbi Stephen J. Einstein

Buharie Faisal

Rabbi Robin Foonberg

Reverend Dr. Sarah Halverson-Cano

Rabbi Laura Schwartz Harari

Miguel Hernandez

Interfaith Council of Greater Rancho Santa Margarita

Islamic Circle of North America, Council for Social Justice California

Rabbi Rachel Kort

Dot C. Leach

Rabbi Peter Levi

Reverend Karen Maurer

Rabbi Joe Mendelsohn

Father Christian Mondor

Rabbi Nancy Myers

Orange County Congregation Community Organization

Reverend Andrea Paddock

Reverend Dr. Peggy Price

Rabbi Arnie Rachlis

Barbara Scheinman

Rabbi Larry Seidman

Rabbi Linda Seidman

Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi

Dr Ahmed Soboh

Rabbi Nico Socolovsky

Rabbi Elie Spitz

Rabbi Richard Steinberg

Rabbi Frank Stern

Reverend Doctor Karen Stoyanoff

Rabbi Hazzan Marcia Tilchin

Father Quan Tran

Bishop Kevin Vann

Reverend Mark Whitlock

Reverend Sian Wiltshire

Rabbi David N. Young

Rabbi Corie Yutkin

Rabbi Gersh Zylberman