PITTSBURGH — Bishop David Zubik, leader of the Diocese of Pittsburgh which includes Butler County, is urging “everyone” to call their congressmen and senators in opposition to the eliminations of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

“As a leader in Southwestern Pennsylvania, I ask everyone to urge the president to continue Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival, a vital program for older teens and young adults who were brought to this country without documents when they were children.” Zubik said.

“These young people are known as the ‘dreamers’ because they believe in the American dream.

“They have grown up here. They share our language, they share our values and they share their gifts and talents with us, their neighbors.”

The program began in 2012 and offered certain undocumented immigrants the chance to register for permits that defer deportation for two years and to obtain eligibility for work permits.

President Donald Trump rescinded the program Tuesday but with a six-month delay, giving Congress the chance to save it.

Zubik joined the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which released a statement on Tuesday in support of the program.

“DACA is for young people with no criminal history, who are students or who have graduated high school or its equivalent or who are veterans of the U.S. military,” Zubik said.

“Over the past five years about 800,000 young people have benefitted and continue to benefit from this program. If it is discontinued, they stand to lose their work permits and face deportation to a country where they have no home.”

There are about 14,000 DACA recipients in Pennsylvania.