Connecticut Governor Supports Single Mother Of 4 Facing Deportation
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is among those showing support for a woman trying to avoid deportation by seeking sanctuary in a New Haven church.
Malloy visited 43-year-old Nury Chavarria, of Norwalk, on Thursday night inside the Iglesia De Dios Pentecostal church.
He says the attempt to deport her shows President Donald Trump's administration is lying when it says its immigration policies are focused on "the bad guys.''
"What we're told simply does not appear to be true and the living proof of that is here in this church," Malloy said. "When the American people are not being told the truth, when they are being mislead by their government, that is a very dangerous time for all Americans."
Meeting with Nury Chavarria at Iglesia De Dios Pentecostal church in #NewHaven pic.twitter.com/8Yy1XnrTiF
— Governor Dan Malloy (Archived) (@GovMalloyOffice) July 20, 2017
The governor said he can't intervene personally but offers his support.
Chavarria, a single mother of four, fled violence and despair in Guatemala in 1993. She was denied asylum in the U.S., WCBS 880's Sean Adams reported.
"Her mother and father were granted asylum in New York. The policy here has no rational basis in fact," U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, (D-Conn.) said.
She was ordered by immigration officials to leave the country by Thursday, but is taking refuge in the church.
Her four children – all US citizens – will stay behind. Her oldest child is 21 years old and suffers from cerebral palsy.
Chavarria has no criminal record. She's been a housekeeper for 15 years, Adams reported.
Blumenthal and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy asked federal immigration authorities for a stay of deportation on humanitarian grounds, but that was denied.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)