By Bob Mims and David Noyce | Salt Lake City Tribune
In the first major policy statement under newly installed President Russell M. Nelson, the LDS Church urged Congress on Friday to act quickly to protect from deportation hundreds of thousands of “Dreamers,” whose undocumented parents brought them to the United States as children.
In a news release posted on mormonewsroom.org, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called on lawmakers to “provide hope and opportunities” for the estimated 1.8 million Dreamers living in the nation.
“They have built lives, pursued educational opportunities and been employed for years based on the policies that were in place,” the Utah-based faith stated. “These individuals have demonstrated a capacity to serve and contribute positively in our society, and we believe they should be granted the opportunity to continue to do so.”
Mormon leaders noted that while “immigration is a complex and sometimes divisive issue . . . we believe that our first priority is to love and care for one another as Jesus Christ taught.”
While falling short of endorsing any “specific legislative or executive solution,” the church said it hopes “there is provision for strengthening families and keeping them together.”
Until recently, Dreamers were protected from deportation under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which allowed them a legal pathway to attend school and work in the country. In September, President Donald Trump announced that he was rescinding the Obama-era program, which he saw as executive overreach, and shifting the responsibility for a solution to congressional leaders.
