Pa. Archbishop: Program protecting young immigrants is humane

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The conservative leader of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia says ending the program protecting hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation would be “a drastic mistake.”

Archbishop Charles Chaput says part of being pro-life and pro-religious freedom is to embrace the dignity of the whole person.

He says the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program is “a humane, just and sensible recognition of the facts: Most of these young people have nowhere else to go, and no other home than the United States.”

The archbishop is urging parishioners to press lawmakers to find a positive replacement for DACA.

President Donald Trump railed against the program during his campaign.

He faces a Tuesday deadline set by Republicans who’ve threatened to challenge the program in court unless Trump dismantles it.