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Woman Who Took Took Sanctuary In Greensboro Church Goes Free After Deportation Order Dropped

Hundreds of protesters marched in downtown Greensboro early this year against President Donald Trump's expected tightening of U.S. immigration policy. Since then, several Triad immigrants have taken sanctuary in local churches. SEAN BUETER/WFDD

An undocumented woman from Mexico has left a Greensboro church after taking sanctuary there.

Minerva Garcia had been living at Congregational United Church of Christ in Greensboro with her children since June.

She recently learned that the deportation order that caused her to seek sanctuary status had been vacated by a Texas lawyer, meaning she could return home.

Garcia is one of a number of people nationwide who took shelter in places of worship after receiving such orders from the federal government.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enact a more aggressive strategy in removing undocumented immigrants.

Garcia moved to the United States in the 1990s from Mexico so that her son, who is blind, could access services. She has lived in Winston-Salem for the last 17 years.

With some exceptions, ICE does not usually raid places of worship.

Garcia was the second undocumented immigrant in North Carolina to seek sanctuary status this year. The first – Juana Luz Tobar Ortega – has been living in another Greensboro church since May.

Sean Bueter joined WFDD in August 2015 as a reporter covering issues across the Piedmont Triad and beyond.Previously, Sean was a reporter, host and news director at WBOI in Fort Wayne, Ind., just a few hours from where he grew up. He also sorted Steve Inskeep's mail as an intern at NPR in Washington, D.C.Sean has experience on a variety of beats, including race, wealth and poverty, economic development, and more. His work has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and APM's Marketplace.In his spare time, Sean plays tennis (reasonably well), golf (reasonably poorly), and scours local haunts for pinball machines to conquer.

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