“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for by doing so, some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:1)
President Donald Trump and Members of Congress,
As bishops of the Episcopal Church we implore you not to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA. To do so would endanger the lives of thousands of young people and their families and run contrary to the faith and moral traditions of our country.
It is unfair to threaten the well-being of young people who arrived in our country as children through no choice of their own. Ending DACA without a similar replacement program will force these young people to face the future in this country with little access to education and employment, and ultimately, could very well lead to sending them to countries where they did not grow up, have few support structures, may not even speak the language and may be vulnerable to violence and persecution.
Any of these scenarios, we believe, is cruel.
The alternative for us as a country is to move forward, to celebrate and benefit from the presence of these ‘Dreamers’ and to provide a pathway to citizenship that enables them to remain and strengthen our country.
The Episcopal Church has long advocated for bipartisan comprehensive immigration reforms that prioritize family unity and humanitarian concerns. It is time for Congress to develop long-term solutions for immigrant families.
In front of most of the Episcopal Churches across the country is a sign that says, ‘The Episcopal Church Welcomes You.’ We have this sign because we are followers of the way of Jesus of Nazareth, and our Christian tradition shares with many other faith bodies the absolute importance of welcoming the foreigner in our midst. Throughout the centuries this tradition has brought us great wisdom and strength as the foreigner among us has become a part of the fabric of our country’s life.
In recent years, our congregations throughout the United States have witnessed firsthand the benefits that the young ‘Dreamers’ have brought to our community programs and life. We have been inspired by, and gained much from, their American spirit.
We urge you to enact permanent, meaningful legislation that will protect ‘Dreamers’ and enable these young people to remain a part of our country—which is also theirs.
Bishop Michael Bruce Curry
XXVII Presiding Bishop
Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
XXVI Presiding Bishop;
Diocese of San Diego
Bishop Frank T. Griswold
XXV Presiding Bishop;
Diocese of Chicago
Bishop Gladstone B. Adams III
The Episcopal Church in South Carolina
Bishop Laura J. Ahrens
The Episcopal Church in Connecticut
Bishop J. Neil Alexander
Diocese of Atlanta
Bishop Craig B. Anderson, Ph.D.
Diocese of South Dakota
Bishop Marc H. Andrus
Diocese of California
Bishop David E. Bailey
The Episcopal Church in Navajoland
Bishop David C. Bane, Jr.
Diocese of Southern Virginia
Bishop J. Scott Barker
Diocese of Nebraska
Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows
Diocese of Indianapolis
Bishop John Bauerschmidt
Diocese of Tennessee
Bishop Nathan D. Baxter
Diocese of Central Pennsylvania
Bishop Mark Beckwith
Diocese of Newark
Bishop Barry L. Beisner
Diocese of Northern California
Bishop Patrick Bell
Diocese of Eastern Oregon
Bishop Larry Benfield
Diocese of Arkansas
Bishop Scott A. Benhase
Diocese of Georgia
Bishop Tom Breidenthal
Diocese of Southern Ohio
Bishop Gregory O. Brewer
Diocese of Central Florida
Bishop Diane Jardine Bruce
Diocese of Los Angeles
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde
Diocese of Washington
Bishop Joe Goodwin Burnett
Diocese of Nebraska
Bishop Bud Cederholm
Diocese of Massachusetts
Bishop Michael Creighton
Diocese of Central Pennsylvania
Bishop James E. Curry
The Episcopal Church in Connecticut
Bishop Clifton Daniel
Acting Dean, Cathedral Church of
Saint John the Divine, NYC
Bishop Andrew M. L. Dietsche
Diocese of New York
Bishop Joe Morris Doss
Diocese of New Jersey
Bishop Ian T. Douglas
The Episcopal Church in Connecticut
Bishop C. Andrew Doyle
Diocese of Texas
Bishop Philip M. Duncan, II
Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast
Bishop DeDe Duncan-Probe, Ph.D.
Diocese of Central New York
Bishop Peter Eaton
Diocese of Southeast Florida
Bishop Thomas C. Ely
The Episcopal Church in Vermont
Bishop Douglas Fisher
Diocese of Western Massachusetts
Bishop Jeff Fisher
Diocese of Texas
Bishop Robert L. Fitzpatrick
Diocese of Hawaii and
the Episcopal Church in Micronesia
Bishop R. William Franklin
Diocese of Western New York
Bishop Alan M. Gates
Diocese of Massachusetts
Bishop Wendell N. Gibbs, Jr.
Diocese of Michigan
Bishop Mary Glasspool
Diocese of New York
Bishop Susan E. Goff
Diocese of Virginia
Bishop Duncan Gray
Diocese of Mississippi
Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves
Diocese of El Camino Real
Bishop William O. Gregg, Ph.D.
Diocese of Eastern Oregon
Bishop J. Clark Grew
Diocese of Ohio
Bishop Matthew Gunter
Diocese of Fond du Lac
Bishop Sanford Z. K. Hampton
Diocese of Olympia;The Episcopal Church in Minnesota
Bishop Michael Hanley
Diocese of Oregon
Bishop Gayle E. Harris
Diocese of Massachusetts
Bishop Dena Harrison
Diocese of Texas
Bishop Rayford B. High, Jr.
Diocese of Texas; Diocese of Fort Worth
Bishop A. Robert Hirschfeld
The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire
Bishop Anne Hodges-Copple
Diocese of North Carolina
Bishop Herman Hollerith
Diocese of Southern Virginia
Bishop Mark Hollingsworth, Jr.
Diocese of Ohio
Bishop Harold A. Hopkins
Diocese of North Dakota
Bishop Whayne M. Hougland, Jr.
Diocese of Western Michigan
Bishop Barry R. Howe
Diocese of Southwest Florida;
Diocese of West Missouri
Bishop George N. Hunt
Diocese of Rhode Island
Bishop David Colin Jones
Diocese of Virginia
Bishop Russell Kendrick
Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast
Bishop W. Michie Klusmeyer
Diocese of West Virginia
Bishop W. Nicholas Knisely
Diocese of Rhode Island
Bishop Chilton R. Knudsen
Diocese of Maryland
Bishop Edward J. Konieczny, D.Min., DD
Diocese of Oklahoma
Bishop Stephen T. Lane
Diocese of Maine
Bishop Edward L. Lee, Jr.
Diocese of Western Michigan
Bishop Peter James Lee
Diocese of Virginia
Bishop Ed Leidel, Jr.
Diocese of Eastern Michigan
Bishop Edward S. Little II
Diocese of Northern Indiana
Bishop James B. Magness, D.Min., DD
Diocese of Southern Virginia
Bishop Paul Marshall
Diocese of Bethlehem
Bishop J. Scott Mayer
Diocese of Northwest Texas;
Diocese of Fort Worth
Bishop Dorsey W. M. McConnell, DD
Diocese of Pittsburgh
Bishop Jack M. McKelvey
Diocese of Rochester
Bishop José Antonio McLoughlin
Diocese of Western North Carolina
Bishop Rodney Michel
Diocese of Pennsylvania;
Diocese of Long Island
Bishop Steven A. Miller
Diocese of Milwaukee
Bishop Hector Monterroso
Diocese of Texas
Bishop Robert J. O’Neill
The Episcopal Church in Colorado
Bishop Jacob W. Owensby, Ph.D., DD
Diocese of Western Louisiana
Bishop George E. Packard
Armed Services and Federal Ministries
Bishop Claude E. Payne
Diocese of Texas
Bishop William D. Persell
Diocese of Ohio; Diocese of Chicago
Bishop Kenneth L. Price, Jr.
Diocese of Southern Ohio
Bishop Brian N. Prior
The Episcopal Church in Minnesota
Bishop Lawrence C. Provenzano
Diocese of Long Island
Bishop Rayford J. Ray
Diocese of Northern Michigan
Bishop David Reed
Diocese of West Texas
Bishop Gretchen Rehberg
Diocese of Spokane
Bishop David Rice
Diocese of San Joaquin
Bishop Samuel Rodman
Diocese of North Carolina
Bishop Jeffery Rowthorn
Episcopal Churches in Europe
Bishop Audrey C. Scanlan
Diocese of Central Pennsylvania
Bishop Victor A. Scantlebury
Diocese of Central Ecuador
Bishop Alan Scarfe
Diocese of Iowa
Bishop Gordon Scruton
Diocese of Western Massachusetts
Bishop Brian R. Seage
Diocese of Mississippi
Bishop James J. Shand
Diocese of Easton
Bishop Allen K. Shin
Diocese of New York
Bishop Prince G. Singh
Diocese of Rochester
Bishop Rob Skirving
Diocese of East Carolina
Bishop William E. Smalley
Diocese of Kansas
Bishop George Wayne Smith
Diocese of Missouri
Bishop Kirk Stevan Smith
Diocese of Arizona
Bishop John S. Smylie
Diocese of Wyoming
Bishop Douglas Sparks
Diocese of Northern Indiana
Bishop William H. (Chip) Stokes
Diocese of New Jersey
Bishop John T. Tarrant
Diocese of South Dakota
Bishop John Harvey Taylor
Diocese of Los Angeles
Bishop Martin G. Townsend
Diocese of Easton
Bishop Mark Van Koevering
Diocese of West Virginia
Bishop Charles G. vonRosenberg
Diocese of East Tennessee;
The Episcopal Church in South Carolina
Bishop Michael L. Vono, DD
Diocese of the Rio Grande
Bishop W. Andrew Waldo
Diocese of Upper South Carolina
Bishop Cate Waynick
Diocese of Indianapolis
Bishop Pierre Whalon
Episcopal Churches in Europe
Bishop Terry A. White
Diocese of Kentucky
Bishop Geralyn Wolf
Diocese of Long Island
Bishop Carl W. Wright
Armed Forces and Federal Ministries
Bishop Robert C. Wright, DD
Diocese of Atlanta
Bishop George D. Young, III
Diocese of East Tennessee
For more information, contact The Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs at publicaffairs@episcopalchurch.org