Rosa Gutiérrez López, 40 years old and who has been in the country since 2006 as a refugee, received the news on December 10 that she should leave the country. However, the mother of three children of American nationality is not willing to leave the one that now calls her country without first giving the fight.
The woman, who until recently lived in Fredericksburg, Virginia, was connected to the church through the DMV Sanctuary Congregations Network, an organization that helps immigrants who are in a position like Gutierrez Lopez. Officials at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda said immigration officials are aware that Gutiérrez López is there and that they are not hiding anything, and point out that ICE policy excludes enforcement actions in “places sensitive “, including churches.
