Denver Catholic

10 SEPTEMBER 23-OCTOBER 13, 2017 | DENVER CATHOLIC Around the Archdiocese T o the DREAMERS of Colorado, I have been following closely the status of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and it was a great disappointment to see that President Donald Trump has chosen to end the program in six months. As I said°last week°in a statement, the Archdiocese of Denver values the 17,000 Coloradans who have benefited from DACA, several of whom work for the Archdiocese of Denver, either at Centro San Juan Diego or in one of our parishes. Some of you are personal friends. You are a tremendous gift! If the program as we know it ends, we will have to terminate the employment of our DREAMERS, who with their energy, enthusiasm and love for the faith have contributed in a positive manner to the Catholic Church here in northern Colorado. You are faithful workers who give of yourselves to serve others and are virtuous contributors to our society. Unfortunately, the current situ- ation has been brought about by the fundamental problem of congressio- nal inaction that goes back decades and has allowed a broken immigra- tion system to languish, leaving you and your families, already living diŒ- cult circumstances, to grapple with its failures. We must remember, however, that the person comes before politics and ideologies of political parties. A per- son's fundamental identity is that of a child of God, not their immigration status. The dignity of every human being is bestowed by God, not by society. C olorado alone boasts 17,000 beneficiaries of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). Among them are many young people who are working for the Archdiocese of Denver, Centro San Juan Diego and parishes across northern Colorado. Here are some of the testimonies of young people whose commitment and contribution have made a di‹erence in the Archdiocese of Denver.° You feel as if a stranger has your future in his hands" EVELYN PÉREZ, 21, is the receptionist at Saint Joseph parish in Denver, and she credits DACA with everything she has accom- plished in the past few years. A native of Guadalajara, Mexico, Evelyn arrived to the United States at nine months old. She has never lived outside of the United States since then. Her father worked as an electrician and her mother as a housekeeper to make ends meet. Before DACA, Evelyn worked as a waitress at a Mexican restaurant. "It was not a very good job," she told°Denver Catholic en Español. "I had to work long hours, I felt used because due to my legal situation I could not get a better job." Thanks to DACA, she began working for Kaiser Permanente as an insurance specialist and is now studying criminology at the Arapahoe Community College. But her job and her education could all disappear if action is not taken to enshrine DACA into law. "You feel as if a stranger has your future in his hands," she said. "I would feel very bad if I could not work here anymore. It is very diŒcult. I just hope that God will take care of us all." I say with peace that I am not afraid" JUAN CARLOS REYES, 31, is the Director of Family Services for Centro San Juan Diego, a ministry of the Archdiocese of Denver. A native of Michoacán, Mexico, he was 13 when he arrived to the United States with his parents. "The beneficiaries of DACA are uncertain about what we are going to do and how life will change for us. But we remember that we have been in worse situations," he told°Denver Catholic en Español. "That is why I say with peace that I am not afraid." Today, Juan Carlos is a husband and father of three boys (ages 4, 5 and 6), and committed to not only taking advantage of every opportunity this country has o‹ered him, but helping other His- panics to do the same. A student of the Denver Catholic Biblical School, he has earned a bachelor's degree in religious science and is currently studying a master's in pastoral innovation. In his position at Centro, he organizes ongoing formation courses and seminars to serve families, and he promotes higher education distance learning through a partnership between Centro San Juan Diego, Anáhuac University of Mexico City and Popular Autonomous University of the State of Puebla (UPAEP, for its initials in Spanish). Currently, over 100 students from the His- panic community have earned or are earning bachelor's degrees and preparing themselves to be leaders in their communities. Archbishop Aquila's letter to the DREAMERS The faces of DREAMERS in the WHAT IS DACA? DACA is the temporary deferral of deportation and authorization to work for young people who were brought to the United States as minors. Those eligible for DACA had to complete high school and be in possession of a clean criminal record. " " BY CARMEN VILLA carmen.villa@archden.org @EPCatolico PHOTO BY ANYA SEMENOFF PHOTO BY ANYA SEMENOFF

• Cover