Arturo Hernandez Garcia visiting his friend from sanctuary Jeanette Vizguerra after he received a brief reprieve, as ICE released him from immigration detention. May 3, 2017, Denver.
When Arturo Hernandez Garcia from an immigration detention center in the Denver area after a week of being held pending his deportation, the first thing he wanted to do on Wednesday morning was go to work.
His wife persuaded him to do otherwise, and the 44-year-old Mexican father of two girls, who has lived in Colorado for more than 15 years, instead went to a court hearing to support a fellow person living in the U.S. unlawfully. Work, he said, would wait until Thursday.
“I really did think that first day (in detention) that I was going to be deported,” recounted Hernandez Garcia, who spent nine months in a Denver church basement between 2014 and 2015 to prevent his deportation before being told he was no longer an enforcement priority. He was then arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on April 26.
He added, speaking through a translator: “I couldn’t stop thinking, ‘What am I going to do?’ Then I started thinking about how (my daughter) is registered for college in the fall and who is going to pay for her studies if I’m not here to work? It was really difficult.”
Hernandez Garcia’s release — as part of a 30-day delay of his deportation — came after a week of frantic efforts by his supporters and Democrats in Colorado’s congressional delegation to halt his removal from the U.S. There were protests, news conferences and even two pieces of and U.S. Rep. , of Golden.
Bennet and Perlmutter also lobbied ICE officials to not deport Hernandez Garcia, with Perlmutter penning a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly pleading his case. The congressman argued Hernandez Garcia is a hardworking man whose split from his family would be an undue hardship.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Arturo Hernandez Garcia, who was arrested last month by U.S. immigration officers, lived from October 2014 through July 2015 at the First Unitarian Society of Denver. When he left the church, he did so with a letter from federal officials saying he was not an immigration enforcement priority.
“Not only is Mr. Hernandez a contributing and valued member of this community,” wrote Perlmutter, a 2018 Colorado gubernatorial candidate, “he is a parent of a U.S. citizen.” Perlmutter says he is appreciative that ICE heard his concerns and granted the delay in Hernandez Garcia’s case.
Hernandez Garcia while he was working at his flooring job. His supporters say the arrest came as a complete surprise, as nothing in his case had changed — no encounters with local law enforcement, no interactions with federal immigration officials and no notice that he was suddenly a priority for deportation.
Immigrant advocates — and Hernandez Garcia himself — feel the arrest was possibly fueled by politics under President Donald Trump and potentially the notoriety of Jeanette Vizguerra, a Mexican woman who has taken sanctuary in the First Unitarian Society of Denver, the same church that harbored Hernandez Garcia. Last month, Vizguerra was named for her work in the immigrant-rights movement.
Hernandez Garcia’s arrest came the morning was held at the church celebrating the recognition.
ICE has not commented at length on why Hernandez Garcia was suddenly arrested or released, saying only that they were acting on a deportation order for him that was issued in 2014.
“Hernandez Garcia has overstayed his original, six-month visa by nearly 14 years,” ICE spokesman Carl Rusnok said in a written statement last week. “He has exhausted his petitions through the immigration courts and through ICE.”
The agency says Hernandez Garcia, on Tuesday, was granted a 30-day stay of deportation by Denver ICE Field Office Director Jeffrey Lynch and released on an order of supervision.
“It’s not the end of the story,” said Jennifer Piper, interfaith organizer in Denver for the American Friends Service Committee, who has been heavily involved in the case. “He’s got a long legal battle ahead of him.”
Hernandez Garcia’s supporters say they hope the monthlong pause in his deportation will allow for appeals to be filed in his case. At the very least, he will be able to attend his teen daughter’s high school graduation next week.
“We hope things get back to normal as soon as possible,” said Ana Sauzameda, Hernandez Garcia’s wife. “Just get back to as much of a normal life as we can in the midst of this fight.”
Hernandez Garcia came to the attention of immigration officers in 2010 after an altercation at a job site where he and his crew were laying tile. He was arrested but later was acquitted of all charges. However, an immigration judge ordered his deportation in April 2014.
Since coming to the U.S. in 1999, Hernandez Garcia applied a half-dozen times for some kind of legal status or discretion in his immigration case to no avail.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Arturo Hernandez Garcia and family emerge for a press conference at First Unitarian Society in Denver July 21, 2015 after he received a letter from immigration officials telling him he is no longer an enforcement priority.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Arturo Hernandez Garcia and his family during a press conference outside First Unitarian Society on Tuesday, July 21, 2015.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Arturo Hernandez Garcia and his family wait inside the church before a press conference at First Unitarian Society on Tuesday, July 21, 2015.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Arturo Hernandez Garcia has been living in the basement of the First Unitarian Society of Denver since October 2014 in order to avoid deportation while he appeals to immigration authorities.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Arturo Hernandez Garcia gets a visit from his family on Feb. 20, 2015. At left is his daughter Andrea, 9, and behind his wife Ana Sauzameda.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Jennifer Piper, Interfaith Director for American Friends Service Committee, and Arturo Hernandez Garcia talk strategies and timelines for building support for Garcia's immigration case on Feb. 16, 2015. "Very few people want to continue to fight their case in sanctuary," says Piper. "It takes a certain kind of person to engage with sanctuary- It's an act of civil initiative."
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Arturo Hernandez Garcia has been living in the basement of the First Unitarian Society of Denver since October 21, 2014 in order to avoid deportation while he appeals to immigration authorities. "Some days it's hard," says Garcia. "I need to go outside."
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Ana Sauzameda holds a sign supporting her husband Arturo Hernandez Garcia outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Centennial on Thursday morning, March 12, 2015.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Arturo Hernandez Garcia takes a moment while making calls to supporters, inviting them to participate in an upcoming rally. In the foreground are his wife Ana Sauzameda (Left) and daughter Mariana, 15.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Arturo Hernandez Garcia kept a wall of cards written to him in support of his case in his room at the First Unitarian Society of Denver.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Arnie Carter, a member of the New Sanctuary Committee at the First Unitarian Society of Denver talks with Arturo Hernandez Garcia about a letter writing campaign they are undertaking on Feb. 22, 2015.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Arturo Hernandez Garcia has been living in the basement of the First Unitarian Society of Denver since October 2014 in order to avoid deportation while he appeals to immigration authorities.
Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post
Leaving the First Unitarian Church, Beatrice Martinez carries a "Free Arturo" sign as Arturo Hernandez Garcia and his wife Ana, walk together, at right, as supporters held a march on Friday, March 20, 2015 to call attention to the plight of Garcia, a Mexican who is living in a church basement to avoid deportation.
Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post
Supporters held a march on Friday, March 20, 2015 to call attention to the plight of Arturo Hernandez Garcia, a Mexican who is living in a church basement to avoid deportation. Garcia right, holds a "I Am Arturo" sign as he does an interview outside the church as the marchers begin their journey at left.
Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post
Supporters walk along 16th Street Mall in Denver with the Capitol in the background as they held a march on Friday, March 20, 2015 to call attention to the plight of Arturo Hernandez Garcia, a Mexican who is living in a church basement to avoid deportation.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Arturo Hernandez Garcia and his wife Ana Sauzameda share a moment after Ana spent the morning protesting outside the Immigration office.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Arturo Hernandez Garcia talks about his case with a group of students from the University of Colorado Denver.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Arturo Hernandez Garcia, family and supporters, hold a service marking an end to their 3-day fast in support of Garcia's immigration case.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Arturo Hernandez Garcia and his wife Ana Sauzameda wait with Gabriela Flora, Program Director for the American Friends Service Committee after a call with activists.
Arturo Hernandez Garcia and his family walk out for a press conference at First Unitarian Society on Tuesday, July 21, 2015.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Arturo Hernandez Garcia and his family during a press conference outside First Unitarian Society on Tuesday, July 21, 2015. On April 26, 2017, Hernandez Garcia was detained by immigration agents in Denver.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
Arturo Hernandez Garcia and his family take his first walk outside the First Unitarian Society in nine months Tuesday, July 21, 2015.
Patrick Traylor, The Denver Post
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Arturo Hernandez Garcia and family emerge for a press conference at First Unitarian Society in Denver July 21, 2015 after he received a letter from immigration officials telling him he is no longer an enforcement priority.
He and his story quickly became a focal point in the immigration debate after drawing the attention of national media outlets. Hernandez Garcia after receiving a letter from ICE saying he was no longer a priority for deportation.
Hernandez Garcia says he hasn’t thought much about the prospect of returning to sanctuary if he doesn’t have a resolution in his case in the next 30 days. He’s putting his trust in his attorney and hoping for the best.
“At first I was worried about being picked up again,” Hernandez Garcia said Wednesday about when he left sanctuary in 2015. “But after a year and a half of living my normal life, and not having any new problems, I really started to think that things were going to be just normal.”
