Woman, 2 children seek sanctuary from deportation at Greensboro church

A Winston-Salem woman and her two youngest children took sanctuary at a Greensboro church on Thursday morning to avoid deportation, marking at least the second such case in North Carolina.

Minerva Garcia, an immigrant from Mexico, and her two youngest sons, ages 6 and 3, will be living at Congregational United Church of Christ until she can get a stay of removal from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that would delay her deportation.

Garcia came from Mexico to the U.S. 17 years ago with her oldest son Eduardo, now 21, and her second oldest son who died of cancer in 2007. She moved to the U.S. to find better educational opportunities for Eduardo, who is blind.

In 2013, Garcia obtained a stay of removal from ICE because her oldest son depends on her. Every year since, she’s received a stay of removal, until this year. During Garcia’s annual check-in with ICE in May, she received a deportation order to leave the country by June 30.

Garcia, her family and supporters in the Winston-Salem Sanctuary Coalition are asking Sen. Thom Tillis to request her stay of removal and to continue giving her deferrals until she can get a legal status.

The Rev. Julie Peeples of Congregational United Church of Christ has been preparing her church for the past year to host someone in need of sanctuary.

“As the faith community, we are doing what Congress has refused to do: protect immigrant families from an immigration system that is separating families and deporting people who are woven into the fabric of their communities and congregations,” Peeples said in a statement.

One month ago, Juana Ortega, who migrated from Guatemala, took sanctuary at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Greensboro. She remains there and is asking Tillis to request ICE issue a stay of removal on her behalf. Ortega has not gone outside the church building since May 31.

This story was originally published June 29, 2017 at 1:16 PM with the headline "Woman, 2 children seek sanctuary from deportation at Greensboro church."