© 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

Third Undocumented Person Seeks Sanctuary In New Haven Church

First and Summerfield United Methodist Church
/
Facebook

A father of three sought sanctuary from deportation in a New Haven church on Thursday after the Board of Immigration Appeals denied his request for an emergency stay of removal Wednesday night.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, had ordered Nelson Pinos-Gonzalez to return to his native Ecuador by noon. 

Speaking to reporters through a Spanish interpreter at First and Summerfield United Methodist Church, Pinos says he will live there while he continues his immigration case.

“Tengo la familia…I made the hard decision of coming to this church because I have a family. I have a family to fight for. I have a family to strive for and I don’t want to abandon them.”

Pinos’s 15-year-old daughter, Kelly, says friends and classmates tried to help her change ICE’s decision.

“We had 500 postcards with two different pictures of me and my family. And on the back it had... please leave my friends, family here. They mean the dearest to me. And please let them stay.”

Pinos says he has no criminal record. He has lived in the United States since 1992. He is the third undocumented parent who has sought sanctuary in a New Haven church this year.

ICE considers churches, schools, and hospitals “sensitive locations” where officials will not enter. 

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