ARCHDIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES AND CATHOLIC DIOCESES NATIONWIDE TAKE ACTION ON FEB. 26 TO PROTECT DREAMERS
February 23, 2018  |  By:   |  Archbishop Gomez, Press Releases  |  

— Monday, Feb. 26 has been designated by the Catholic Bishops in the United States as the National Call-In Day for Dreamers; in Los Angeles it will include a special Mass dedicated to Dreamers at La Placita Church on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 10 a.m.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles will join all the dioceses in the country in the National Call-In Day to Protect Dreamers on Monday, February 26, 2018. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has designated this day as an opportunity for the Church to express our support for those young people known as Dreamers, who came to the U.S. as minors and are now at risk of deportation from the only home they have ever known due to the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) on March 5.

The Bishops are calling on all Catholics to contact their Representatives and Senators on both sides of the political aisle, and encourage them to come together as leaders to compromise, to find a legislative solution for recipients, and those who are eligible for DACA.

Parishes and ministries in the Archdiocese are inviting their respective communities to take part in the call to action. In addition, some parishes and Catholic ministries in the Archdiocese are dedicating prayers, Masses and other events in support of the Dreamers, including:

• A Mass dedicated to Dreamers at Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish (La Placita Church) 535 N Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90012, on Sunday, February 25 at 10 a.m. It will include testimonials from Dreamers. After the Mass there will be an immigration information booth on the church’s plaza.
• National Call-In Day for Dreamers announcements and distribution of flyers at all the Masses on Sunday, February 25 at Dolores Mission Parish, 171 S Gless Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033.
• The Catholic TV and Radio Network, El Sembrador, will open its channels on Monday, February 26 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. for questions from the public on DACA, and direct calls from their listeners to their legislators.

When Congress returns to Capitol Hill on February 26, it will have only a week to act before the March 5 deadline to end DACA. Each day after March 5, recipients face the possibility of losing their DACA protections —their ability to go to school, to serve in the military, work legally, and most of all, to avoid deportation. Currently, every day DACA youth are falling out of status. While pending litigation has temporarily blocked the rescission of DACA for the moment, it is likely that the Supreme Court will overturn the temporary order.

All are invited to take part in the National Call-in Day to Protect Dreamers. People can find their representatives and Senators phone numbers at http://thenextamerica.org/get-involved/#contactyourlegislator.

For more information regarding the Archdiocese’s efforts on immigration reform, visit www.thenextamerica.org.

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