The Jewish Fund for Human Needs (JFHN) announced last week that it will award an emergency grant to enable DACA recipients to apply for renewal of their status. It also will launch an effort to fundraise for additional support within the Jewish community.  

More than 3,500 Missouri residents have obtained permission to work and study through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which is the subject of ongoing lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s intention to end the program. 

Local immigrant advocacy and service provider organizations have joined together to raise money for DACA recipients to cover the costs of their application ($495) and legal fees to help them file their renewals as quickly as possible.  JFHN is contributing $2,500 to this joint fund. 

“We are proud to support our partners in helping ensure that everyone is able to file their renewal application regardless of financial burdens,” said Maharat Rori Picker Neiss, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council. “DACA recipients and their families contribute to the social, cultural, and economic fabric of our society, and we are committed to their right to stay in the country where they have made their home.” 

“The just treatment of all immigrants is a cornerstone of Jewish ethics and for many in our community, a deeply personal issue,” said Rabbi Brigitte Rosenberg, chair of JFHN. “For many of our own families, America was an escape from persecution and poverty. It is our obligation to continue to stand up for immigrant communities who are seeking the security, stability, and opportunities that our own parents and grandparents dreamed of when they reached our shores.” 

The coalition of organizations working to assist the DACA recipients includes the Interfaith Committee for Latin America, the Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis, Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates, the Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project, St. Francis Community Services, Catholic Legal Assistance Ministry Immigration Law Project, Latinos en Axión, Cosecha Missouri, and MOdreamers. 

To donate to JFHN for the DACA renewal fund, visit Jfhn.org, and designate the donation for “DACA.”