The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is expressing disapproval of a decision by President Donald Trump's administration that ended a migration program that allowed minors from Central America to stay temporarily in the U.S. if their parents are already in the U.S. legally, according to a statement from the the organization.
Former President Barack Obama's administration set up the Central American Minors (CAM) program in 2014. It allowed parents to request a two-year temporary stay in the U.S. for their children who were under 21.
"We supported the CAM program, which included both refugee and parole options, precisely because it provided a legal and organized way for children to migrate to the United States and reunify with families. Terminating the program will neither promote safety for these children nor help our government regulate migration," said Bishop Joe S. Vasquez, chairman of the bishop conference's committee on migration.
"The CAM parole program offered part of that solution — a legal way to migrate for the most vulnerable of children," Vasquez said in the conference statement.
On Aug. 16, the Trump administration announced it was ending the program, according to The Washington Post.
Almost 3,000 children between 11 and 17 are now subject to deportation, reports Arizona Public Media.
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