Seeking Sanctuary, Undocumented Grandmother Moves To Greensboro Church

An undocumented immigrant from Guatemala is taking sanctuary in a Greensboro church after receiving deportation orders. Meanwhile, her family is asking U.S. Senator Thom Tillis for help.

The woman in question is Juana Luz Tobar Ortega, who fled violence in Guatemala in 1993, eventually landing in Asheboro. Now, she's living at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in hopes that immigration officials will reverse their decision to deport her.

According to the advocacy group American Friends Service Committee, this is a rare event in North Carolina. AFSC is working with Ortega's family to get the deportation order stayed.

At a ceremony Wednesday, Rev. Randall Keeney said his church has been trying to be open and more welcoming “in a radical way.”

“When we invite new people into our lives, we become enriched, we become better, we become more of what God intends us to be,” Keeney said.

In thanking the church and clergy for their support, Ortega hoped for expedience in receiving a stay on her deportation. Her comments were made in Spanish, with a relative interpreting.

“I hope not to be long here,” she said. “I hope to return to my [North Carolina] home soon, to be able to hug my children, my grandchildren, and to be with my family.”

She also expressed hope for what she called a pathway to residency.

Later in the morning, Ortega's oldest daughter, Lesvi Molina, helped her family and supporters deliver an in-person request at Sen. Thom Tillis' High Point office asking for help. An aide answered the door, spoke for a few moments with the family, and said he would pass their story on to Tillis.

While the process of voiding the deportation order could be long, Molina is optimistic her mother will get to stay in the U.S.

“I just want to thank everyone who's been around our family to support us,” Molina said, “and we hope that everyone keeps supporting us because we don't know how long this is going to take.”

Seeking sanctuary at a church is generally a last chance effort to stay in the country.

As a matter of policy, Immigration and Customs Enforcement generally avoids raiding places of worship, which fall under the category of "sensitive locations." However, the agency is still able to take action if they have the approval of an "appropriate supervisory official" or if there's an immediate threat.

Ortega's move to St. Barnabas comes on the heels of another sanctuary case in Colorado. Jeannette Vizguerra had been living in a Denver church for three months when officials extended the stay on her deportation.