“This action recognizes the dignity of every human person, regardless of race, class or legal status, and it reflects the central importance of family,” Bishop Barnes said in a statement released after the President’s announcement. “As Roman Catholics we celebrate these values of human dignity and family.”
President Obama announced that he would stay the deportation of certain undocumented immigrant parents for up to three years, allowing them to work legally. Eligibility requirements include having lived in the U.S. for at least five years, having children who are U.S. citizens or legal residents and passing a criminal background check.
Roughly four million people will likely qualify for this measure. The president extended benefits of temporary residence to more children of undocumented immigrants, expanding the eligibility for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and extending their temporary stay from two to three years.
In addition, the president said he would increase border security resources and deport those who had illegally crossed the border recently. He said he would focus government enforcement resources on criminals and those who threaten security. The lead federal agency in disseminating information and forms about the executive action and processing applications is U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
While the executive action was supported by Bishop Barnes and his brother bishops of California and the United States, there is still an urgent need for comprehensive immigration reform as a more permanent solution, they said. In his statement, Bishop Barnes noted that comprehensive immigration reform had also been supported by President George W. Bush, a Republican.
“I pray that the U.S. Congress will now set aside partisanship and return to the task of crafting reform that will render the temporary and incomplete solution offered by President Obama unnecessary,” Bishop Barnes’ statement reads.
In the meantime, the Diocese has begun to mobilize efforts to assist those who qualify under the new executive action. Catholic Charities San Bernardino-Riverside, Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC), and the Justice for Immigrants Coalition of Inland Southern California figure to be key partners in the outreach effort.
Current DACA recipients can begin to apply for an extension of that program on Feb. 20. Those undocumented persons who are the parent of a U.S. Citizen or permanent legal resident since 2010 can begin to apply for Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) under the executive order on May 20.
The Diocese is collaborating with immigrant rights advocates to help those who are undocumented to navigate the application process for achieving legal status under the new order and also steering them away from those who would defraud them for financial gain.
“Sadly, people are already emerging that advertise themselves as being able to guide our immigrant brothers and sisters through the legalization process for a significant fee when, in fact USCIS is not prepared to receive any applications” said Hilda Cruz, Coordinator of the Justice for Immigrants Campaign for the diocese. “These individuals only have the intention to make easy money by promising what they cannot deliver.”
Those who qualify for legal status under the executive action are encouraged to immediately begin to gather documents that establish the following factors:
• Identity
• Relationship to a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident
• Continuous residence in the United States for the past five years or more
Catholic News Agency contributed to this article.