Denver Church Sanctuary: Man Who Lived In A Church For Nine Months Detained By Immigration

A man who spent nine months living in the basement of a church that gave him sanctuary, only leaving when he was told his deportation was no longer a priority, apparently became a priority.

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Arturo Hernandez Garcia, a father of two, had lived in the basement of the First Unitarian Society of Denver in 2014 and 2015. He was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as he was working as a contractor.

Immigration officials first became aware of Hernandez Garcia four years before that when he got into a fight at work and was charged with assault.

While he would be acquitted, there was a problem. Hernandez had entered the United States in 1999 legally on a visa with his wife and their three-month-old daughter.

He overstayed his visa. The judge ordered that he be deported.

That's when he sought sanctuary in the church.

After nine months, immigration said that they were not pursuing Hernandez Garcia and he was a low priority for deportation.

Immigration has so far not commented on what changed.

This story will be updated.

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