Center for Religion & Civic Culture

On June 14, President Obama ordered the Department of Homeland Security to cease the deportation of some undocumented youth. The order states that immigrants younger than 30 who came to the United States before they were 16, have clean criminal records, are successful students or have served in the military can receive a deferral for deportation and obtain work permits.

The immigration debate has always been a concern for religious groups in the United States, and the recent announcement has served to shift public focus back to the issue. In the past, the Obama administration has had a difficult relationship with several religious demographics (notably Catholics and evangelicals) in the United States due to the president’s support of gay marriage and abortion rights.

Will this new policy impact the presidential election and garner support from religious groups across the country? But more importantly, is this new policy the beginning of the long-awaited immigration reform that so many have been calling for?

• The Atlantic reports that some conservative evangelicals are applauding Obama's decision to stop the deportation of young undocumented immigrants.
• The Christian Post delves further into the issue, stating that the push for immigration reform is actually bringing together Liberal and Conservative evangelicals under a common goal.
• CNN discusses a notable increase in Catholic support following this latest immigration announcement. However, Catholic support of the Obama administration remains rocky. According to the article, a large Catholic ad campaign is still set to launch later this month condemning the president's push for health insurance companies to offer widespread contraception free of charge.
• A recent article by the Catholic News Agency states that the U.S Bishop's Conference is in support of the new immigration policy. According to the article, they also stressed the need for “bipartisan efforts to enact comprehensive and humane reform” to fix the country's “broken immigration system.”
• USA Today describes the Evangelical Immigration Table, a group of evangelical leaders who came together in Washington to push for concrete immigration reform from Congress.
• The Washington Post examines the fluctuating relationship between Romney, his Mormon faith and potential evangelical supporters in light of the upcoming presidential elections.
• ABC News reports that Christian leaders are funding radio ads in the political battleground states of Florida and Colorado urging listeners to support immigration reform.
• Religion Dispatch columnist Joanna Brooks analyzes the significance of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's own Mormon faith in terms of the immigration issue. "Given the outsized significance Romney’s faith threatens to assume in this election cycle," she writes, "It’s worth remembering that religious voices are among the strongest advocates of a just and principled solution to immigration challenges."