Man exits church after years in sanctuary from deportation
MAPLEWOOD, Mo. (AP) — After 3 1/2 years living inside a Missouri church to avoid deportation, Honduran immigrant Alex Garcia finally stepped outside Wednesday, following a promise from President Joe Biden’s administration to let him be.
Garcia, a married father of five, was slated for removal from the U.S. in 2017, the first year of President Donald Trump’s administration. Days before he would have been deported, Christ Church United Church of Christ in the St. Louis suburb of
Maplewood offered sanctuary.
Sara John of the St. Louis Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America said Garcia’s decision to leave the church came after Immigration and Customs Enforcement declared that he was no longer a deportation priority and that the agency would not pursue his detention or removal.
Garcia, braced by a hand on his shoulder from a son and fighting back tears, told a cheering crowd of about 100 people that he was separated from living with his family for 1,252 days.
“Hi everyone,” Garcia said. “Thank you everyone for showing support for me and my family. Today is the day I’m going to get out of sanctuary after three years and a half.”
“We are not done yet,” Garcia said, reading from a written statement. “There is still so much work that has to be done,” he added, nothing that he will be fighting for “permanent protection.
In his first weeks as president, Biden has signed several executive orders on immigration issues that undo his predecessor’s policies, though several
Republican members of Congress are pushing legal challenges.
Myrna Orozco, organizing coordinator at Church World Service said 33 immigrants remain inside churches across the U.S. and that number should continue to drop.
“We expect it to change in the next couple of weeks as we get more clarity from ICE or (immigrants) get a decision on their cases,” Orozco said.
Others who have emerged from sanctuary since Biden took office include Jose Chicas, a 55- year- old El Salvador native, who left a churchowned house in Durham, North Carolina, on Jan. 22. Saheeda Nadeem, a 65- year- old from Pakistan, left a Kalamazoo, Michigan, church this month. Edith Espinal, a native of Mexico, left an Ohio church after more than three years.
In Maplewood, emo
tion spilled out during a brief ceremony marking Garcia’s departure. The church’s bell tolled. Mayor Barry Greenberg’s voice broke as he told Garcia he couldn’t grant him U. S. citizenship, but he could make him an honorary citizen of Maplewood. He presented a key to the city that Garcia’s young daughter immediately took out of the box to play with.
“Oh God, we want to burst into song!” Pastor Becky Turner said during a prayer, but noting that prayer “isn’t enough. We have to do the work that we pray for.”
Garcia’s exit came just two days after U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, a St. Louis Democrat, announced she was sponsoring a private bill seeking permanent residency for Garcia. Bush said Wednesday that she will still push the bill forward.
“ICE has promised not to deport Alex, and we
will stop at nothing to ensure that they keep their promise,” Bush said in a statement.
Garcia fled extreme poverty and violence in Honduras, his advocates have said. After entering the U.S. in 2004, he hopped a train that he thought was headed for Houston, but instead ended up in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, a town of about 17,000 residents in the southeastern corner of the state.
He landed a job and met his wife, Carly, a U.S. citizen, and for more than a decade they lived quietly with their blended family.
In 2015, Garcia accompanied his sister to an immigration office for a check-in in Kansas City, Missouri, where officials realized Garcia was in the country illegally. He received two one- year reprieves during Barack Obama’s administration.
Former NFL players Chris Long,
Harry Sydney and Twan Russell have been awarded funding for their nonprofit foundations through the league’s Legends Impact Grant program.
Created in 2018, the award is a component of the NFL Foundation’s Player Foundation Grant initiative and supports ex-players in their commitment to making their communities “healthy, happy and safe.”
The Russell Education Foundation will receive $50,000.
Founded in 1998, REF’s goal is closing the achievement gap for low- income students in South Florida through afterschool and summer learning services.
My Brother’s Keeper, created by Sydney in 2003, is a male mentoring program in Green Bay, Wisconsin dedicated to assisting individuals as they deal with hardships. It will receive $40,000.
The mission of the Chris Long Foundation, which is receiving $30,000, is to support bright futures for communities and individuals by promoting international and domestic programs focused on clean water, military appreciation, homelessness, and youth.
“NFL legends continue to positively impact their communities each and every day,” said Alexia Gallagher, NFL vice president of philanthropy and executive director of the NFL Foundation. “We are proud of their philanthropic endeavors and ongoing efforts to create meaningful change.”
The winners were selected by a panel of former players including Pro Football Hall of Famer Will Shields, NFL executive Troy Vincent, Warrick Dunn, Chad Pennington and Leonard Wheeler.
ORLANDO, Fla. ( AP) — Megan Rapinoe scored twice and the United States won the SheBelieves Cup title with a 6-0 victory over Argentina on Wednesday night
The United States is undefeated in 37 games in a row overall and 53 on American soil.
Carli Lloyd, Kristie Mewis, Alex Morgan and Christen Press also scored, and the U.S. women also become the first team to have three straight shutouts in the SheBelieves Cup, which is in its sixth
year.
The United States shut out Canada in the round-robin tournament opener and then downed Brazil 2- 0 on Sunday. Earlier Wednesday, Brazil beat Canada 2- 0 at Exploria Stadium. Brazil finished second.
Argentina, a late addition after Japan dropped out because of coronavirus concerns, did not win a match but did impress with gritty performances.
Rapinoe scored in the 16th minute with a welltimed strike on a through
ball from Rose Lavelle for the early lead.
Rapinoe added another in the 26th minute, tapping in a cross from Lloyd. Rapinoe is the top all-time SheBelieves scorer with seven goals, including three in this edition.
Lloyd added a goal in the 34th. It was Lloyd’s 124th international goal and it came in her 299th appearance with the national team.
Kristie Mewis scored on an angle into the far corner for her fourth career international goal in the
41st minute, and the United States took a 4-0 lead into the half.
Morgan scored in 84th, her first goal since giving birth to her daughter Charlie last May. It was her 108th international goal, moving her into sole possession of fifth place on the team’s career list.
Press scored on a header a short time later for her 11th goal in her last 15 games.
The United States improved to 4-0 against Argentina.