Sanctuary Given To Immigrant By Heights Church: 2017's Must Reads

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — Leonor Garcia, who has lived in the U.S. for two decades, was going to be separated from her family and deported to Mexico. Fearing, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Garcia fled to Forest Hills Presbyterian Church in Cleveland Heights. The church's pastor, John Lentz, said he would provide her with sanctuary, an ancient tradition in which those seeking to elude persecution may declare sanctuary at a church.

The ancient tradition worked.

A spokesperson for ICE pointed out that "Current ICE policy directs agency personnel to avoid conducting enforcement activities at sensitive locations (like churches)" unless agents receive approval from a supervisor. Places of worship are specifically mentioned as a type of "sensitive location."

By seeking sanctuary, Garcia made national headlines and became one of the biggest immigration stories of the year. To read more about her initial sanctuary declaration, click here.

Garcia's children remained in their Akron home. About two weeks after their mother declared sanctuary, the family was visited by ICE agents. The children claimed harassment. ICE claimed protocol, saying they were looking for Garcia.

"There was no purpose for the ICE agents to go to the home, as they are very well aware of Ms. Garcia's current location at the church," said Garcia's attorney Elizabeth Ford in an emailed statement to Patch. An ICE spokesperson did not respond to Patch when asked why agents did not visit Garcia at the church. Read more about that incident by clicking here.

Here are some of the most noteworthy immigration stories this from 2017:

JFK Airport Protest Erupts After 20 Immigrants Blocked From Entering U.S.
After the president rolled out a new executive order banning immigrants from six Muslim-majority countries — including, initially, those already granted green cards, protests erupted across the country. Patch was on the scene to cover the effects of the order at New York's JFK airport where 20 immigrants were detained.

Dreamer: Ending DACA 'Would Be A Huge Blow'

Luis Aguilar is one of hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as a minor, a group often referred to as "dreamers."

"If we could just apply, we would have done so," Aguilar told Patch about the struggle dreamers face for legal status. "We do not have a line that we skip, because there is no line for us."

DACA Is Rescinded

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, a program put in place under President Obama to offer legal protections to dreamer, became politically vulnerable after Trump's election. The Trump administration rescinded the program in the fall amid pressure from conservatives. The president promised to push for a replacement for the program, but nothing has made its way through Congress yet.

Kate Steinle Murder Verdict: Undocumented Immigrant Not Guilty

Jose Garcia Zarate, an undocumented immigrant, was charged with the murder of Kate Steinle in San Francisco in a case that became a major discussion point for those opposed to sanctuary city policies and protections. Trump said the not guilty verdict, announced in November, was "disgraceful."

Deported NJ Parents Say Goodbye To Their 3 Children

"I feel very sad, very sad, more for my kids," Oscar Campos, accompanied by his wife, told NBC10 before their 6:30 a.m. departure from Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday. "I never thought this would happen."

QUIZ: See If You Could Enter The U.S. Under President Trump's New Immigration Plan

The Trump administration endorsed legislation that would slash the present level of legal immigration to the U.S. It imposes a stringent new points-based system for vetting immigrants in an effort to increase the average skill level of newcomers. A simple quiz gives readers a sense of the proposal's requirements.

Pregnant Mother Fears Miscarriage In Immigration Detention Facility

ICE agents detained Maria Solis, a pregnant mother of three American children, on Aug. 1, just days after she discovered she was pregnant. Concerned about the health of the woman and her unborn child, the ACLU asked ICE to allow the 28-year-old to fight her immigration case from her Oceanside home.

Texas Blocks Detained Undocumented Woman's Abortion Access

A 17-year-old dubbed "Jane Doe" in court filings — an unaccompanied young woman placed in custody after crossing into Texas from Mexico following apprehension at the border — was blocked from having an abortion by the Trump administration. After a court battle, the girl won the right to have the procedure.

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