He lived in a Philadelphia church for a year to escape deportation. Now he's free.
By Samantha Schmidt October 12 at 4:46 AM
For nearly 11 months, Javier Flores Garcia’s world fit inside the basement of a Philadelphia church. The Mexican father of three spent 24 hours a day within the church’s walls, unable to support his family and only occasionally receiving visits from them. But those walls protected him from a fate that he saw as far worse: deportation.
Arch Street United Methodist Church began providing Flores with sanctuary in November. On Wednesday, he left the church after being granted a waiver that would defer his deportation while his immigration case moves forward, his lawyer said. The waiver made him eligible for a special visa granted to victims of crimes who have cooperated with police.
The day was a win not only for Flores but for the larger sanctuary movement, which has openly challenged the Trump administration crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Javier Flores Garcia, center, emerges from the Arch Street United Methodist Church in Philadelphia on Oct. 11, accompanied by his family. (Matt Rourke/AP)
As Flores walked out of the church’s chapel doors, he held hands with his wife and three children, according to a video taken by Juntos, an immigrant rights group. A crowd of supporters chanted a version of their usual rallying cry, “sí se puede,” which means, “yes we can.” “Sí se pudo,” the crowd shouted. “Yes, we did it.”
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