/ Modified feb 19, 2015 9:50 a.m.

Supporters of Mexican Immigrant in Sanctuary Start Campaign

Almost 7 months after woman went into sanctuary, 'We Stand With Rosa' effort is begun.

WeStandWIthRosa spotlight Organizers of "We Stand With Rosa" hope to flood Tucson with signs of support
Fernanda Echavarri, AZPM

Listen

Almost seven months after a Mexican immigrant went into sanctuary at a Tucson church, supporters Wednesday launched a campaign asking for her deportation order to be removed.

Rosa Robles Loreto moved in to the Southside Presbyterian Church Aug. 7, and said she will stay there until Immigration and Customs Enforcement closes her case.

“We’ve been fighting for so long, I’ve been here all these months, I am not going to give up now,” she said. “If I do, all of this wouldn’t have been worth it.”

Dozens gathered at Southside Wednesday to pick up signs and learn about the social media campaign which uses photos of people holding signs of support tagged with #LetRosaStay.

Organizers said they hope to put the national spotlight on Robles Loreto's case.

Pima County Supervisor Ramon Valadez and Sunnyside School Board members Daniel Hernandez Jr. and Eva Carrillo-Dong attended the campaign launch.

“We can’t have children learning if they’re constantly in fear that when they go home mom may not be there,” Hernandez Jr. said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has said it will not actively seek to deport Robles Loreto but the immigrant's requests to close her case have been denied.

When President Barack Obama outlined his executive action on immigration in November he also directed the Department of Homeland Security to focus on deporting felons not families.

Because Robles Loreto's case is low priority her deportation order should have been removed by now, Robles Loreto’s attorney Margo Cowan has said.

“I have faith things will go well,” Robles Loreto said.

In a separate case, Daniel Neyoy Ruiz was given sanctuary at the church in May and after spending a month there, Immigration and Customs Enforcement granted him a one-year stay in the country.

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona