Nury Chavarria, a mother of four in Connecticut facing deportation after living in the United States for 24 years, sought refuge inside a church in New Haven on Thursday.
Chavarria came to the United States from Guatemala in 1993 at the age of 19. After her application for asylum was denied, Chavarria stayed in the U.S.
Working as a housekeeper, Chavarria had yearly check-ins with immigration officials. At her last check-in in June, Chavarria was told to pack up and leave her home in Norwalk, according to Connecticut media reports.
Instead of flying back to Guatemala, Chavarria defied the deportation order and sought sanctuary inside a Pentecostal church.
She has support from the state’s religious and political leaders, including Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy.
“Every time we accept being lied to or misled by our government, we are endangering our personal freedoms. And that’s part of what’s at stake here,” Malloy said of plans to deport her.
During a news conference outside the church, Chavarria’s nine-year-old daughter Hayley, pleaded for her mother to stay in the U.S.
“My mother Nury Chavarria is someone I love more than anyone in the world. She is not a criminal,” she said.
The order for Chavarria to leave the U.S. falls in line with U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
However, federal officials do not raid churches to make arrests, NBC affiliate WVIT reported, citing an immigration official.
