© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Immigration Court Allows Norwalk Mother To Stay (For Now)

Nury Chavarria, 43, poses with her 9-year-old daughter, Hayley inside Iglesia De Dios Pentecostal Church in New Haven on Monday. Chavarria, who has lived in the U.S. for 24 years, sought sanctuary in the church last week when she was to have been deported
Pat Eaton-Robb
/
AP
Nury Chavarria, 43, poses with her 9-year-old daughter, Hayley inside Iglesia De Dios Pentecostal Church in New Haven on Monday. Chavarria, who has lived in the U.S. for 24 years, sought sanctuary in the church last week when she was to have been deported

Nury Chavarria, the Connecticut mother who sought sanctuary from deportation at Iglesia De Dios Pentecostal Church in New Haven, can return home to her four U.S.-born children. An immigration court in Hartford granted Chavarria motion for an emergency stay on Wednesday.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement say they won’t detain Chavarria while the court decides whether to re-open her asylum case. That could take several weeks.

Chavarria got emotional as she remembered when she came to the church a week ago, instead of flying to Guatemala. She spoke through an interpreter.

“Now I can cry but not as I did on the 20th when I was shedding tears because I had to leave. These are tears of joy.”

Merisol Orihuela, with Yale Worker and Immigrant Right’s Clinic, filed a second motion to reopen her asylum case.

“We are so thankful that the court acted quickly. That it saw the value in her story and how righteous her case is. We are thankful that ICE today agreed that she does not need to be taken into custody. That she can be with her family while the court considers her case to reopen.”

Chavarria thanked her legal team, the church members and her supporters through an interpreter. More than 300 people gathered at the church for a march in protest of Chavarria’s deportation. But it turned into a march in celebration.  

Copyright 2017 WSHU

Cassandra Basler oversees Connecticut Public’s flagship daily news programs, Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and coordinates breaking news coverage on the air, online and in your morning email inbox. Her reporting has aired nationally on NPR’s All Things Considered, Morning Edition and Here & Now.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content