First Church UCC to host immigration task force

First Church United Church of Christ will host an immigration task force meeting via Zoom. (Photo by Fauxels from Pexels)

First Church United Church of Christ (UCC) will run an Immigration Task Force (ITC) meeting on Thursday, April 6, via Zoom at 7 p.m.

The church’s Facebook page noted that the initiative of this team is to help immigrants in various ways. It includes supporting local initiatives for medical care, food, shelter, and legal support.

Besides, they mentioned that the ITF partners with Dreamers to guarantee Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) scholarships and sponsors an Immigration clinic and Keep Phoenix Together.

Immigration Task Force

The church's website announced that the ITC conducts a virtual meeting every first Monday of every month. They pointed out that people in the United States are all descended from immigrants except their indigenous brothers and sisters.

Additionally, they said that regardless of whether voluntary or involuntary, they are caught again in a generation of intolerance. They revealed that people quickly forget that it is a blessing for everyone to welcome “the stranger.”

Moreover, the website pointed out that the task force not only navigates around immigration reform but also offers Sanctuary, Migrant Hospitality with Valley-wide community partners, and DACA and gap scholarships for residents in Arizona.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Dreamers

The American Council on Education revealed that Senators Dick Durbin and Orrin Hatch pioneered the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act in 2001. This policy would make a process by which immigrants could apply for conditional residency.

As further explained, this act could help them have permanent residency based on their age of entry into the United States.

However, the website revealed that despite multiple reintroductions in each Congress from 2001 to 2021, the DREAM Act still needs to pass.

Moreover, former President Barrack Obama built the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy by executive action in June 2012.

The website explained that this law allowed undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. young to access work permits, social security cards, driver’s licenses, and deferred deportation.

The Trump administration canceled the policy in Sept. 2017. Yet, the website reported that subsequent court decisions allowed the program to continue in some form.

Moreover, the website noted that the DACA program could not accept new applications. They explained that the most updated court decision ruled that the Obama administration did not have the power to make the program.

Besides, the court noted that the decision is up to Congress to make the vital program permanent somehow.

Meanwhile, the website highlighted that ACE promotes on behalf of the Dreamers, pursuing Congress to pass legislation to allow them permanent legal status and other protections.

Remember the Dreamers

Remember the Dreamers is about efforts focusing on Congress to find a legislative solution for Dreamers and DACA recipients. They explained that they support the Dreamers while they wait for lawmakers to take measures.

They say they work with the higher education community since they are crucial in promoting and assisting young people. They said that most of them are students on their campuses.