NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A housekeeper who’s secured sanctuary inside a Connecticut church says she’s comfortable being a symbol in the push to change immigration laws.
Nury Chavarria tells The Associated Press she’s not sure how long she will stay in the make-shift apartment at Iglesia De Dios Pentecostal church in New Haven. It was a Sunday school classroom until last week.
She says she needs to stay in the United States for her four children, all U.S. citizens.
Church World Services says Chavarria is among at least 13 people across the U.S. living in church-sanctuary. It estimates the number of churches offering sanctuary has risen from 400 to 800 since Donald Trump was elected president.
Chavarria, a native Guatemalan, had a July 20 deadline to leave. She instead accepted the church’s sanctuary offer.
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