PORTLAND (AP) — A community activist who first came to the U.S. from El Salvador nearly two decades ago spent the weekend hidden in an Oregon church, becoming the latest immigrant to seek sanctuary as authorities try to deport him.
Francisco Aguirre, who has lived illegally in the U.S. for 19 years and has two children who are American citizens, is facing deportation due to a drug trafficking conviction 15 years ago and a previous deportation, authorities said.
Aguirre, 35, is now the coordinator of the Voz Workers’ Rights Education Project, a Portland nonprofit that runs a day labor center. He’s a well-known immigrant rights organizer and a musician who performs songs about social justice.
His case is the first time in recent years that an immigrant has been granted sanctuary by an Oregon church.
Experts estimate about 300 congregations nationwide are willing and ready to give sanctuary to such immigrants. Immigration officials generally do not arrest people inside places of worship.
Aguirre has vowed to remain at Augustana Lutheran Church in Portland until he’s able to resolve his immigration case.
His immigration lawyer, Stephen Manning, says Aguirre is in the process of obtaining a U-visa, a special document for crime victims who help authorities investigate or prosecute cases.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Aguirre was deported to El Salvador in 2000 following a conviction for drug trafficking offenses. He then unlawfully re-entered the country, spokesman Andrew Munoz said in a statement.
Aguirre came to the attention of immigration authorities in August following his arrest for driving under the influence.
