Philly Church Joins ‘Sanctuary Movement’ to Protect Illegal Immigrant

A Philadelphia church has joined the sanctuary movement to shield an illegal immigrant from deportation.

When Angela Navarro, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, was given deportation orders a decade ago, she defied it and “began living in the shadows to stay with her family and then-newborn son.”

According to the Associated Press, she and her family (two children and a husband) eventually moved into “a renovated multipurpose room at West Kensington Ministry,” which is a part of the “Sanctuary 2014” coalition. As Breitbart News has reported, leaders in the Sanctuary movement are asking more churches to join them to protect illegal immigrants from deportations. At least three immigrants in sanctuary churches “have won government reprieves” since last summer and at least four others have been staying in sanctuary churches in Colorado and Arizona.

In the church’s kitchen, Navarro’s items are labeled “Angela’s stuff,” according to the report. Volunteers even “built a full bathroom before the family moved in.”

Lawyers and activists are seeking to “suspend Navarro’s deportation order and review her case in light of her marriage and Obama’s executive actions, which could grant legal status to those who arrived in the U.S. as minors or who have American children.”

After Obama enacted his executive amnesty, he assured the seven million illegal immigrants who did not qualify that they would be less likely to be deported so long as they are not violent criminals. Regarding Navarro’s case, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials reportedly sent a statement saying ICE “remains focused on smart and effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes the removal of convicted criminals and recent border entrants.” As the Associated Press noted, “Navarro doesn’t fall under either category.”

Navarro’s children reportedly “continue to attend school, and her husband still works as a truck driver, but Navarro won’t leave the West Kensington property as she continues to organize her campaign with the help of the local New Sanctuary Movement.”