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.
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