DAI, IAF Raise Alarm on Impact of Executive Order on Undocumented Immigrants

[Excerpts]

Whenever [TMO leader] Father Carmelo Hernandez makes a live appearance on his church's YouTube channel, he asks the same question each week: "Have you filled out your census form?"

The parishioners of St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Houston are largely Hispanic, undocumented or of mixed status, living in one of the most diverse cities in the nation. Hernandez has spent months using his pulpit to demystify the census, disentangle the misinformation and quiet the fears that congregants have about being counted.

But news that President Trump signed a memorandum Tuesday that would exclude many of his parishioners from congressional apportionment is enough to scare them back into invisibility, he said. To them it is proof — against Hernandez's many efforts to the contrary — that the census is a trap and should be avoided.
....

Tuesday’s memo comes as the Census Bureau begins outreach to the nation’s hardest-to-count groups, including immigrants. If the government is seen as trying to disadvantage them, some might be less likely to respond to the survey, immigrant advocates said.

“This is an order designed to sow fear and mistrust between peoples and becomes a matter of life and death as the US battles a deadly pandemic,” said a statement from the Industrial Areas Foundation, a group that works with churches and organizers in the West and Southwest to educate and support minority communities.

....

Soco[rro] Perales, an organizer with Dallas Area Interfaith, said that organizers will continue to encourage immigrant families to cooperate with the Census.

“That information cannot be shared” with immigration authorities, she said. “Everybody still needs to be counted and it is still safe.”

[Photo Credit: Mandel Ngan, AFP / Getty Images]

Some in Texas Fear Trump Ban on Undocumented Immigrants in Census is Scare Tactic to Suppress CountWashington Post

Latest Updates

Latest Updates

Discover our latest initiatives and see what’s new in our communities!

DAI Builds Momentum for Childcare Investment in Dallas County

Yesterday, Dallas Area Interfaith (DAI) and allies united parents, educators, faith leaders, and business leaders to launch Dallas Childcare Works, a new countywide coalition focused on expanding access to quality,...

Read More

DAI Pushes for Children’s Fund to Tackle Child Care Crisis

After hearing from parents struggling to afford child care and congregations closing infant and toddler programs due to soaring costs, Dallas Areas Interfaith (DAI) leaders began organizing for a solution.

Read More

'The Angels are Here, the Angels are Us': DAI Recognized by The Lab Report Dallas

[Excerpts] On a Tuesday evening in mid-November, dozens of cars slow-rolled, bumper-to-bumper, along Northwest Highway, queuing to turn onto Hillcrest Road. Temple Emanu-El was this year’s host for Dallas Area...

Read More

DAI Gathers 1,000 Leaders to ‘Reimagine Dallas: Rooted in Dignity, Rising in Hope’

“This is our moment to reimagine Dallas—not as it is, but as its residents want it to be.” - Pastor Vincent Parker, Lead Pastor of Golden Gate Missionary Baptist Church...

Read More

A Hard-Fought Win for Tenants: DAI Secures Safer Reporting of Code Violations

For years, Dallas Area Interfaith (DAI) tenant leaders have shone a public light on the hazardous, unbearable apartment conditions they face, and urged city officials to develop solutions to hold...

Read More

DAI Finds Unlikely Ally in Development of Legal Strategy for Immigrants in Detention

In response to changes in immigration law enforcement and the upsurge in ICE detentions and deportations, Dallas Area Interfaith (DAI) is developing a legal representation strategy for people in detention. This...

Read More

DAI's 'Cry for Justice & Call to Action' Galvanizes North Texas

Drawing more than 700 institutionally based leaders from across North Texas, Dallas Area Interfaith's 'Cry for Justice and Call to Action' tapped into fresh energy and galvanized new participation from all...

Read More

DAI's Bilingual Leadership Training Prepares 60 Ministry Leaders for Public Life

On the weekend after the election, Dallas Area Interfaith's bilingual parish leadership development training drew 60 ministry leaders from seven parishes and three guest institutions.  Bishop Greg Kelly reflected on...

Read More

Dallas Morning News Highlights DAI's Collaboration with Police Chief to Build Police-Community Trust

After Texas legislators passed the anti-immigrant Senate Bill 4, Dallas Area Interfaith (DAI) leaders didn’t lose hope. Instead, they reached out directly to the Dallas Police Department, engaging them in...

Read More

DAI at Center of Fight to Improve Conditions in Dallas Apartments

[Excerpts] You have to wonder what would become of the residents of Kendall Villas without advocates like Dallas Area Interfaith pressing the city on their behalf. ....city staffers were aware...

Read More

DAI Builds Momentum for Childcare Investment in Dallas County

Yesterday, Dallas Area Interfaith (DAI) and allies united parents, educators, faith leaders, and business leaders to launch Dallas Childcare Works, a new countywide coalition focused on expanding access to quality,...

Read More

DAI Pushes for Children’s Fund to Tackle Child Care Crisis

After hearing from parents struggling to afford child care and congregations closing infant and toddler programs due to soaring costs, Dallas Areas Interfaith (DAI) leaders began organizing for a solution.

Read More