Cardinal Wuerl Joins Joint Statement in Support of Temporary Protected Status
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington joined other faith leaders in the Washington area in calling for a just solution to those in our communities at risk due to proposed federal government decisions to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programs.
Today (Nov. 17, 2017), as faith leaders in the Abrahamic tradition, we recognize and give thanks that the best of American civil values are consistent with the values of our respective religious traditions. These values include equality of all people created in God’s image and collective responsibility for the vulnerable. These values, both religious and civic, inform our moral imperative to speak on behalf of the thousands of individuals whose lives, and that of their families, are placed in turmoil and even risk by our government’s decision to revoke their Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
We stand with the 2,500 Nicaraguans who have just been given notice that they must leave the U.S. within 14 months. We’re heartbroken when we consider how lives will be disrupted, particularly for parents who may be forever separated from their children.
We stand with the 57,000 Hondurans; the 200,000 Salvadorans; and the 50,000 Haitians whose lives continue to hang in the balance as the Department of Homeland Security determines the fate of their TPS. After facing unspeakable violence and devastation in their homelands, these people have truly made a home among us; some have lived here for decades as our neighbors, members of our faith communities, and people who contribute positively to U.S. society.
We also pray for our lawmakers, who have the ability to intercede positively on behalf of all those with vulnerable legal status through compassionate legislation. We believe that a just solution can be found that would benefit our country and the thousands of people eager to emerge from the shadows as hard-working, law-abiding, and faithful residents of this country.
The Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington
Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig
Senior Rabbi of Washington Hebrew Congregation
Imam Talib Shareef
Senior Imam of Masjid Muhammad, the Nation’s Mosque
His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl
Archbishop of Washington
###