Thread: Government agents go to home of woman in sanctuary in church

Posted on September 15, 2017 at 3:34 PM

By Michael Sangiacomo, The Plain Dealer

AKRON, Ohio -- Agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) "pounded on the door" of the Akron home of Leonor Garcia Friday morning, even though the office was told she has taken sanctuary in the the Forest Hill Presbyterian Church in Cleveland Heights, church officials said.

Garcia's 3-year-old son and 19-year-old daughter, Margaret, were home when agents knocked loudly on the door. Garcia, who is an undocumented immigrant, was scheduled to be deported to Mexico on Thursday. Instead, she took refuge in the church on Tuesday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesman Khaalid Walls said agents will not attempt to remove her from the church. He cited ICE policy that says agents will "avoid conducting enforcement activities in sensitive areas" that includes places of worship, schools and hospitals.

He had no comment on the actions at Garcia's home at 11 a.m. Friday.

"Leonor is very upset," said Pastor John Lentz. "Her daughter was upset as well because the agents pounded on the door and frightened the children beyond words."

Lentz said Garcia's daughter, who was born in the United States, refused to answer the door and eventually the agents left.

"This is harassment since ICE knows Leonor is here in the church," said Lentz. "We've been having conversations with them because they want us to return the ankle monitor Leonor wears. We have been discussing how to do that, since cutting it would be tampering with government property."

Lentz said the woman's four American-born children would be brought to the church to stay with their mother, at least temporarily.

Garcia has been living in the United States without documentation for at least 20 years and is the sole support of her children since her husband was deported in 2011.

She was facing deportation more than seven years ago but was given a reprieve after ICE officials learned of her family's circumstances. Since then, she was able to stay in the United States.

On Aug. 1, Garcia checked in with ICE for what she thought would be a routine meeting. Instead, she was affixed with an ankle monitor and told to report for deportation yesterday.

After hearing of the woman's situation, the church offered to allow her to live in an apartment upstairs.

"Since the word got out, more than 90 percent of the people who contacted us support her and what the church is doing," Lentz said.

Lynn Tramonte, a Cleveland Heights resident who is an official with the national immigrant support group America's Voice, said other churches in the country have opened doors to people facing deportation, including a church in Columbus.

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index...to_home_o.html

Insanity. Deport the WHOLE UNIT, removing minor children with them even if born in the US. Their parents are their legal guardians, they are not to be separated. They should have all been deported 6 years ago. COME ON!! Stop being stupid.

"This is harassment since ICE knows Leonor is here in the church," said Lentz. "We've been having conversations with them because they want us to return the ankle monitor Leonor wears. We have been discussing how to do that, since cutting it would be tampering with government property."

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These Churches are NOT above the Law. Go in there and haul her OUT and deport her.

Take your 3 year old with you. YOU are the guardian and custodian of your minor child, not US taxpayers.

YOU are already "tampering" with the Law by aiding and abetting a criminal illegal alien trespasser!

SHAME ON YOU!

They have Church in Mexico...she can go there.

Yeah, I'm sorry but I'm not buying into this absurd notion that churches are off limits to ICE or any other law enforcement agency. Just take your arrest warrant over there and pull this illegal alien out of there, put her on the first bus out of here and then go round up her minor children and remove them to reunite with her in Mexico. Mexico is a nice country for Mexicans just as America is a nice place for Americans, lets keep it that way. Eh?

Speaking of Buses. Watching Hurricane Harvey I realized FEMA has buses they belong to the government and drivers are Government employees, Why not use the Government Buses and resources we already have to deport illegals? We already have them and really the buses sit around and rust most of the time anyway. It would save a lot of money and should be fairly cost efficient as we already have the employees and transportation. Why should it cost upwards of 10,000 to deport a single illegal. This us crazy.

The government has all types of vehicles to haul people. Military, FEMA, Federal Prison System, many different sources of buses. Planes, too.

Do we have Government trains...we can fill up a lot of rail cars.

They came in on the "Beast" and they can go back on it.

You know, I thought about trains. I'm not sure we do, other than AMTRAK, which is a federal government partnership. They could use entire cars on AMTRAK guard the exits and haul them that way. Military might have some we don't know about.

One thing for sure is the faster they can get them deported the cheaper it will be to deport illegals. The longer they hold them the more it cost us. Upwards of 10000 I read to deport one single person is abuse of taxpayers money.

It's outrageous. They should make them post a $10,000 bond when they're arrested to pay for the expense of deportation.