Two years. That’s how long it’s been that Springfield resident Lucio Perez has been forced to live in sanctuary at the First Congregational Church in Amherst. Before taking the extraordinary step to escape an immoral deportation order — based on a minor charge that was later dropped — Perez lived and worked for nearly two decades in the United States. Originally from Guatemala, he is married and has three children who are U.S. citizens. He has lived in western Massachusetts since 2009.

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