North Carolina Mother Facing Deportation Takes Sanctuary in Church

From Rewire:

Undocumented immigrant mother Minerva Garcia has sought sanctuary at a local church in Greensboro, North Carolina. In an update on Garcia's deportation case, Rewire Immigration Reporter Tina Vasquez writes:

"Garcia for years has maintained regular contact with ICE without indication she would face deportation. Her attorney says she has no criminal record, has paid taxes, and is not considered a threat of any kind. Her deportation order is representative of a larger, national trend of 'silent raids'." 

Silent raids are the increasingly common practice of ICE turning a routine check-in into deportation, where sometimes undocumented immigrants are detained on the spot -- a strategy that "punishes people who are trying to do what the government has asked of them," say advocates.

Laura Garduno, a mother, DACA recipient, and local immigrant rights advocate, echoed what many faith leaders have said in relation to Garcia's case: “When I first moved to North Carolina, I remember thinking: Why are there so many churches here? Now I find myself thinking: Are there enough churches here to take up this struggle?”

For more details, please see "North Carolina Woman Facing Deportation Takes Sanctuary as ICE’s ‘Silent Raids’ Continue." To contact Tina Vasquez, email press@rewire.news.

More background available at "NC Woman’s Deportation Order a ‘Symbol of Everything Wrong With the Immigration System’" and "‘Minerva Is Our Neighbor’: Communities Unite to Fight Deportation of North Carolina Mother."

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