Woman Who Sought Sanctuary From Deportation in a Phila. Church Gets Permission to Stay in U.S.
By Ian Bush
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- An undocumented immigrant who moved into a North Philadelphia church to fight deportation has won her case -- and gets to stay with her family in this country.
"I feel really happy."
Angela Navarro now can work in this country, and can apply for a driver's license.
"I can't explain how big this is."
Navarro, who spent nearly two months at West Kensington Ministry church, has been granted a reprieve from deportation. A spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement says "ICE has chosen to exercise prosecutorial discretion in this matter and has granted her a Stay of Removal."
An immigration activist who's been working on Navarro's case says the Honduran national can apply to have the removal order canceled; that would allow Navarro eventually to get a green card. The legalization process is a long one, but she says now Navarro can work and drive legally.
Navarro refused to leave the church in what she called civil disobedience of a decade-old order to have her kicked out of the country, which would have left her two children, aged 11 and nine, without a mom, and her husband without a wife.
The husband and children are US citizens.
Navarro was pregnant in 2003 when she was arrested for illegally crossing the Mexico-Texas border. She says she told immigration officials she didn't want her child to grow up in a violent, impoverished land -- and she didn't want to be separated from her parents: they left Honduras for the U.S. when Hurricane Mitch slammed into Central America and have been permitted to stay.
What's the first thing you do after living for a decade in fear of being kicked out of the country? Pick up your kids from school:
(Angela replies in Spanish; interpreted by Nicole Kligerman:) "They're very happy. Their immediate reaction was just staring at me, confused, thinking 'what are you doing outside of the church?'"
"Now I'm free to do everything I want. So I don't know what to say," said Navarro.
"This is a victory for community organizing for immigrants and allies and people of faith," said Nicole Kligerman.
Kligerman with the New Sanctuary Movement says the group -- and Navarro -- will work to win freedom for others in a similar fight.
The Sanctuary movement, which helped Navarro's cause, says seven others remain in churches in similar straits across the country.
You may also be interested in these news stories: