Washington (SE): The bishops of the United States of America (US) have called the immigration reform proposal forward by the government president, Donald Trump, “deeply troubling,” Vatican News reported.
 
In a February 2 statement in reaction to the January 25 publication of the White House Framework on Immigration Reform & Border Security, Bishop Joe Vásquez, chairperson of the US Bishops’ Committee on Migration, wrote: “We welcome the administration’s proposal to include a path to citizenship for Dreamers. However, the proposed cuts to family immigration and elimination of protections to unaccompanied children are deeply troubling.”
 
The proposal clears the way for approximately 1.8 million Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients to obtain citizenship over a 10 to 12 year period. However, it leaves out around half of the estimated 3.6 million Dreamers who do not meet the DACA criteria, Vatican News said.
 
The proposal seeks to limit family sponsorship of citizens and legal permanent residents to spouses and children who are minors.
 
The statement said, “Family immigration is part of the bedrock of our country and of our Church.” 
 
Bishop Vásquez emphasized the importance of “upholding and protecting the family unit, regardless of its national origins.”
 
With a March 5 deadline looming, he called for a bipartisan solution moving toward the enactment of legislation because “time is of the essence.”