Sanctuary movement leader told he must go
He has until April 22, but vows to continue fighting
Arturo Hernandez Garcia, who first claimed church sanctuary in Colorado in 2014, attended a deportation hearing Thursday in Centennial at which he was given a short reprieve, according to supporters.
Hernandez Garcia, who is married and has two daughters, was ordered Thursday to return to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in Centennial on April 4 with travel documentation in hand, showing that he will leave the country no later than April 22, according to an American Friends Services Committee news release.
“We will keep fighting and talk with our lawyers about what’s next,” Hernandez Garcia said in the news release. “My daughters motivate me to keep fighting and believing that we can remain together as a family. I appreciate the extra time to continue pursuing a solution, but we are not done yet.”
On Thursday morning, nearly 50 people from several Denverarea churches held a demonstration outside the offices on his behalf.
Hernandez Garcia’s hearing was Thursday afternoon.
“We are asking ICE to grant a stay of deportation while a lawsuit that could change his status moves forward. Keep Arturo together with his family, to provide financial and emotional support, while the court case is decided,” said Jennifer Piper, an AFSC organizer.
Hernandez Garcia, who entered the country illegally in 1999, spoke to the crowd shortly before his hearing, thanking people for their support.
“We have another difficult day where we don’t know how it will turn out,” Hernandez Garcia said, while his two daughters and his wife, Ana, wept.
Hernandez Garcia has said the reason he came to the U.S. was to make sure his children — Mariana, 19, and Andrea, 13 — had the resources they need to pursue their education.
In 2014, facing deportation, Hernandez Garcia claimed sanctuary at the First Unitarian Church in Denver.
In July 2015, ICE sent Hernandez Garcia a letter indicating he was no longer a priority for deportation.
But on April 26, 2017, ICE detained Hernandez Garcia without a warrant at a warehouse his company used to store tile. U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter negotiated a two-year stay of deportation by introducing private bills on Hernandez Garcia’s behalf.