While Espinal is still under deportation order, her lawyer is Lizbeth Mateo informed the dispatch that she could leave the church and go home under supervision. Espinal also has to check in regularly with ICE, as she had before going to the Sanctuary, and did so on Thursday for the first time in years. “She left the office about an hour after the meeting began to cheer and clap from supporters who were waiting for her, “the report reads. Dozens waited eagerly for her to leave the building. Fortunately, she did. “I can finally go home,” she said in the report.
x
Edith Espinal enters the ICE office for a hearing in the hopes that she can leave the church she has lived in for almost 3 1/2 years. Pic.twitter.com/Je8g0Q92wq
– Kevin Landers (@ Kevin10TV) February 18, 2021
Proponents said Espinal’s ability to return home was the result of President Joe Biden’s new enforcement priorities. “The Biden government has announced a number of immigration orders, including one that includes new guidance on who is considered a priority for deportation,” they said. “Under these new guidelines, Edith should not be considered a priority for removal and should be given a deportation break.”
Other immigrants in the sanctuary recently went home under the new administration. Earlier this month The 65-year-old asylum seeker Saheeda Nadeem was able to leave the First Congregational Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she had been at the sanctuary for nearly three years. The threat of deportation against her was not only dropped – meaning that after three years she could safely leave the sanctuary – but also that her visa application would be expedited.
Espinal’s situation remains much more precarious. “If the priorities change, she could be picked up and deported,” Mateo told the dispatch. “We still have to be vigilant to make sure she stays.” Espinal needs the “big, bold and inclusive” immigration overhaul recently introduced by the Biden administration and Congress Democrats. The Espinal and Nadeem cases also show that ICE is perfectly capable of deciding not to give anyone priority for deportation. It was decided not to deport Espinal and Nadeem, but it is still ruthlessly and despicably aimed at black immigrants, including children, for deportation.
“Many of these members of our communities are reportedly being forced and ill-treated in for-profit detention centers.” Members of the Black Caucus of Congress recently advocated it Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, “like the Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana, which was then abruptly flown by ICE Air chartered aircraft to countries where they cannot safely return (e.g. Cameroon, Ethiopia and Haiti), despite their legal Challenges in their moves exist. ”
ICE can just as easily decide to stop these deportations as it has decided not to undertake any deportations Espinal and Nadeem. Just like a few years ago when she shared her story with Castro, Espinal said she hoped her story can help others. “I hope this can open doors for other people who live in the shrine,” she said in dispatch. “We will continue to urge the Biden administration to do the right thing and try to get rid of this deportation warrant against Edith so she can run free like everyone else without fear,” Mateo told NBC News.
x
After 3 1/2 years of waiting, Edith Espinal was allowed to leave the Clintonville Church she called home and go to her home in Columbus. Edith sought refuge in the church to avoid deportation to Mexico. She had a hearing before the ICE this morning. # 10tv pic.twitter.com/7Lq6kAduZi
– Kevin Landers (@ Kevin10TV) February 18, 2021
Columbus Mennonite Church pastor Joel Miller told Religion News Service that the church will continue to be a haven and shelter for undocumented immigrants at risk of deportation by ICE, which remains a dangerous agency. Indeed, the leaders of Congress have said layoffs at the agency are long overdue. “It’s become a really important part of our identity as a community,” Miller said. “The sanctuary is something we see as the core of our mission. We believe in that deeply. “
Comments are closed.