Dordt College's statement on DACA decision

Dordt College stands with the Council for Christian College and Universities (CCCU) in its call to Congress to take timely action to protect those impacted by the decision to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Dordt administration, faculty, and staff are available for Dordt students as they ask questions about the recent changes related to DACA. Dordt College will contact Senator Chuck Grassley, Senator Joni Ernst, and Representative Steve King to advocate for those impacted by the rescinding of DACA.

In this week’s First Mondays talk “Calvin, Refugees and Heretics: Scope and Limits of Human Rights in Reformation Europe” Dr. Paul Lim, associate professor of the history of Christianity at Vanderbilt Divinity School, talked with the Dordt community about the universality of the imago dei—that is, “the image of God in every person, irrespective of color, gender, or nationality.” Using examples from both the Old and New Testaments and from the life and writings of theologian John Calvin, Lim clearly called the Dordt community to understand and apply Jesus’ answer from the parable of the Good Samaritan to the question, “Who is our neighbor?”

“Those brothers and sisters currently facing an uncertain future due to the change to DACA certainly qualify as our neighbors, and they need us to advocate on their behalf for a permanent solution,” says Dr. Erik Hoekstra, president of Dordt College. Hoekstra reiterated that “regardless of the action or inaction of our government, we will continue to do all we can to welcome the stranger, to treat our neighbors—foreigner and otherwise—as fellow image bearers of God.”

The Department of Homeland Security has begun the process of phasing out the DACA program. For five years, DACA has provided over 800,000 individuals the opportunity to pursue education, find employment, and start families in the United States of America. The rescinding of DACA will, as Dr. Shirley Hoogstra of the CCCU states, “have far-reaching consequences for…valuable, deeply loved individuals, and so we call on Republicans and Democrats alike to look past party lines and come together to create a legal solution that respects both the God-given dignity of every person and the rule of law.”

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt College seeks to equip students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life.