Presbyterian Mission Agency immigration and custom enforcement Archives

immigration and custom enforcement

Sanctuary from detention, large fines and near-certain deportation

Posted October 23rd, 2020

Six years ago, Hilda Ramírez arrived in the United States with her seven-year-old son, Ivan, after fleeing Guatemala. She spent a year in a Texas detention center, where she led women on a hunger strike. Four years ago, she and her son were offered Sanctuary at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin, where they remain even as they face deportation and fines in the tens of thousands of dollars.