Philadelphia Jewish Voice: A Jewish response to the plight of the Dreamers

“Why would you do this for us?” This question was posed after a group of over 80 rabbis and Jewish leaders were arrested during a protest at the Capitol, led by the Jewish organization Bend the Arc, on behalf of the Dreamers.

Dreamers are undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. In 2012, by executive order, President Obama established the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, to provide the Dreamers with temporary legal protection. Since its inception, DACA has enabled almost 800,000 Dreamers, who met certain criteria, to legally live, work and attend school in the U.S. However, by order of President Trump, DACA protections are to be terminated, leaving hundreds of thousands of Dreamers in jeopardy…

Commenting on the protest on behalf of the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), JDCA chair Ron Klein said, “Jewish Americans, as the descendants of immigrants, understand more than most the moral weight of this issue.”