Woman living in church hopes for reprieve from deportation

Liliana spends her days taking care of her 7-month-old son, mostly within the comfortable confines of a parsonage at United Church of Christ in Simi Valley.

The 29-year-old mother says she would much rather be with her husband and their other two children at home in Oxnard. But that’s not possible.

Liliana, an illegal immigrant who sought sanctuary at the church in August, is hoping for a legal reprieve that would allow her to live at home without fear of arrest or deportation as she pursues her desire to stay in the United States.

“I’m a mother, not a criminal,” said the slight, soft-spoken woman during a recent interview at the church on Royal Avenue.

But opponents of illegal immigration disagree wholeheartedly. To them, Liliana became a criminal the moment she crossed the U.S. border with Mexico in the late 1990s without proper documentation. The fact that Liliana now shares responsibility for three children who were born in the United States and therefore are citizens, should not give her a free pass regarding her illegal status, they say.

“Her and other families like hers wouldn’t be in this situation if she had just done it the right way at first and not broken the law to begin with,” said Chelene Nightingale, spokeswoman for Save Our State, an anti-illegal immigration group. “She didn’t have a family when she first got here. . . . I have no ill-will against [Liliana] personally. It’s not her, but she’s the symbol of a bigger problem.”

Likewise, Albert Rodriguez, who founded Don’t Speak for Me, another anti-illegal immigration group, said supporters of the sanctuary movement are aiding and abetting lawbreakers.

“I don’t care what the denomination is, they’re wrong,” Rodriguez said.

The case involving Liliana, who asked that her last name not be published because she fears for her safety, received national attention in September when the city of Simi Valley sent the church a bill for nearly $40,000 to cover the cost of extra law enforcement officers called out during a local anti-illegal immigration rally. Officials later decided not to force the reimbursement issue, saying that the country needs a clearer federal policy on immigration.

Liliana, while fully aware that many opponents of illegal immigration do not sympathize with her, said she wanted to describe her experiences in the hope of generating greater understanding of families made up of both illegal immigrants and U.S. citizens.

She said her personal goals remain basic: to sharpen her English skills and to study psychology in college.

“I want to do something good for this country,” she said. “I want to help my family move forward.”

A native of Michoacan, Mexico, Liliana, speaking through an interpreter, said she came to the United States in 1998 when she was 19. She was unable to obtain a student visa in Mexico City, but she traveled north anyway. Liliana was detained while attempting to cross the border, but secretly entered the United States within a few weeks.

Later that year, she met Gerardo, her future husband, on the first day of her job at a corn-packing facility in Somis, near Oxnard. In 1999, they were married in a church wedding with more than 300 guests.

Within two months, the couple began the process of applying to federal immigration authorities for Liliana to become a permanent resident like her husband. They were told by a notary that her earlier border detention would not be a problem.

To strengthen their application, Gerardo became a citizen in fall 2002 and about a year later Liliana was granted a one-year work permit.

Then in May 2004, the couple encountered a problem with Liliana’s residency petition -- her border detention had made her ineligible for permanent residency.

Immigration officers warned that they could arrest her immediately and subject her to deportation, but instead they let her return home to her young son and daughter.

Fearing Liliana’s deportation, the couple consulted attorney Gabriella Navarro-Busch in Ventura, who told them they could wait until Liliana received a formal letter ordering deportation. Months passed, and then years, and nothing happened.

But last May, four federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived at the family’s home about 6:30 a.m. They were set to take Liliana into custody, when she successfully pleaded for five extra days to arrange care for her children: Gerardo Jr., 7; Susy, 5, and Paul, then 2 months, whom they call Pablito.

At that point Liliana joined the New Sanctuary Movement, a national human rights effort to make immigration law more humane and eliminate raids that separate undocumented parents from their U.S.-born children. She stayed in several locations before arriving at the Simi Valley church. The family received her deportation letter Sept. 5., Navarro-Busch said.

The idea of churches providing sanctuary is ancient, although it has no legal standing in the United States. Still, federal authorities have declined to enter the Simi Valley church, or sanctuary congregations in Koreatown, North Hollywood and Pico-Union, to arrest sheltered illegal immigrants, stating a policy of concentrating on more serious criminal offenders.

The parsonage used by Liliana and Pablito has four bedrooms, two baths, fireplaces and a patio. Gerardo -- who has one job at a hardware store and another delivering pizza -- and the couple’s other children visit one day during the week and on weekends.

Liliana said keeping her family together would be impossible without the help of her parents, who live in the Oxnard area, and the dozens of volunteers from the church and affiliated congregations who support the movement.

As a safety precaution, at least one church member is stationed at the parsonage around the clock.

“I don’t think anyone can fully appreciate the quiet anguish she feels every day as she prays for a positive solution to her situation,” said the Rev. June Goudey, church pastor. “Our church continues to join our prayers with hers.”

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greg.griggs@latimes.com