4
COMMUNITY
January 16, 2018 | The Valley Catholic
Bishop McGrath Tells Dreamers to Dream at DACA Press Conference
By Liz Sullivan
Gathered in front of Most Holy Trin-
ity Church in East San Jose on Decem-
ber 14, Bishop Patrick J. McGrath joined
civic and religious leaders for a press
conference about DACA (Deferred Ac-
tion for Childhood Arrivals). The event
was hosted by Catholic Charities of
Santa Clara County.
Established by the Obama admin-
istration in June 2012 and rescinded by
the Trump administration in Septem-
ber 2017, DACA was an immigration
policy that allowed some individuals
who as minors, and had either entered
or remained in the country illegally, to
receive a renewable two-year period of
deferred action from deportation and
to be eligible for a work permit. Full
implementation of the rescission has
been delayed six months (to March 2018)
to give Congress time to decide how to
deal with the population that was previ-
ously eligible under the policy.
(UPDATE – A U.S. District Court
judge in San Francisco Jan. 9 temporar-
ily blocked the Trump administration’s
decision to rescind DACA. In a 49-page
Bishop Patrick J. McGrath joined civic and religious leaders for a press conference about DACA
(Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) hosted by Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County on
December 14 at Most Holy Trinity Church in San Jose.
ruling, Judge William Alsup of the U.S.
District Court for the Northern Dis-
trict of California said his nationwide
injunction is appropriate because “our
country has a strong interest in the
uniform application of immigration
law and policy.” Alsup said the Trump
administration must start accepting
DACA renewal applications again, but
he also said the federal government is
not required to accept applications from
those who have never before applied to
be covered by DACA).
As of 2017, about 800,000 individu-
als, referred to as “Dreamers” after
the Dream Act bill, were enrolled. The
Dream Act (Development, Relief, and
Education for Alien Minors) is a legisla-
tive proposal for a multi-phase process
for qualifying alien minors in the United
States that would first grant conditional
residency, and upon meeting further
qualifications, permanent residency.
“I want to say this very clearly to the
DREAMERS: Keep dreaming,” said the
Bishop. “Do not allow the darkness of
ignorant speech and spiteful rhetoric
to diminish your dreams of becoming
what you want to do and who you want
to be in this country. Keep dreaming. It
may seem that the lack of support for
the DREAM act in Congress and the
White House is a mountain too high to
overcome or that the cost of housing is
a valley that is too wide to cross…but
we must not give up our dream of a
smooth path to opportunity and a fair
shot of success.”
Joining the Bishop at the event were:
Gregory R. Kepferle, CEO, Catholic
Charities of Santa Clara County; Father
Michael E. Engh, S.J., President, Santa
Clara University; Robert Yabes, Pro-
gram Director, Immigration Legal Ser-
vices, Catholic Charities; Mina Ciurea,
Attorney, Immigration Legal Services,
Catholic Charities; Father Jon Pedigo,
Director of Advocacy & Community
Engagement, Catholic Charities; Father
Robert Fambrini, S.J., Pastor, Most Holy
Trinity Parish, and Omar Rodriguez,
Kooltura.
The Santa Clara Serra Club Celebrates
Member Frank Hopkins on his 100 th Birthday
By Audry L. Lynch
At a recent luncheon at Mari-
ani’s Restaurant in Santa Clara, Frank
Hopkins, who has been a Serran for 49
years, celebrated his 100 th birthday with
fellow Club members. It was a totally
joyous occasion and Frank warned
the members, “If all this praise keeps
up, I’m going to have to attend more
meetings.” This was a welcome remark
to the members who remember Frank
as a former president of the Club. He
also served as vice-president several
times as well as being a trustee of the
organization. Next year will mark his
50 th year as a Serran.
“Being a Serran enhances your appre-
ciation of the Catholic Church and makes
you a better Catholic. It’s a great thing to
do to pray for vocations. I always regard
priests with the highest respect. Through
Serra I be