Woman Who Took Took Sanctuary In Greensboro Church Goes Free After Deportation Order Dropped

An undocumented woman from Mexico has left a Greensboro church after taking sanctuary there.

Minerva Garcia had been living at Congregational United Church of Christ in Greensboro with her children since June.

She recently learned that the deportation order that caused her to seek sanctuary status had been vacated by a Texas lawyer, meaning she could return home.

Garcia is one of a number of people nationwide who took shelter in places of worship after receiving such orders from the federal government.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enact a more aggressive strategy in removing undocumented immigrants.

Garcia moved to the United States in the 1990s from Mexico so that her son, who is blind, could access services. She has lived in Winston-Salem for the last 17 years.

With some exceptions, ICE does not usually raid places of worship.

Garcia was the second undocumented immigrant in North Carolina to seek sanctuary status this year. The first – Juana Luz Tobar Ortega – has been living in another Greensboro church since May.