Lenten Devotions: #Faith4DACA Youth

There is no way that I can do my work without addressing today’s  unconscionable suffering of immigrant families and children in our nation and at our southern border. I am grateful to my friend and colleague in ministry, Rev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea for working with me on a number of different faith formation and advocacy resources for this important ministry.  I believe that the risen Christ stands with and among these tortured youth and children. There is precious little we can do just now except pray and protest. That being said, I want to lift up to all of you a new Lenten Devotional created by Rev. Stanley-Rea which focuses on the plight of our nation’s DACA recipients.

For those of you who don’t know…DACA stands for

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. It is a totally legal immigration program that provides certain undocumented citizens (mostly children who were brought to the USA as  young children of un-documented parents) exemption from deportation for a renewable two-year period, while also allowing them to receive renewable two-year work permits.

DACA recipients are at risk on many levels. They are worried about the possible deportation of their un-documented family members as well as the potential  termination of their DACA status. Most of  these families are hardworking members of our communities and many DACA recipients  are in the middle of higher educational programs which they and their families will benefit from their completing.

Tomorrow, I will begin praying for them and I will spend this Lenten season in repentance for them – which means doing my best – to support and advocate for them at both local and federal levels. What about you? Won’t you join me?