Alex Claims His Freedom After 1,252 Days Living in Sanctuary at Christ Church


Congresswoman Cori Bush Introduces a Bill for Alex’s Permanent Residency in the US

On February 21, 2021, Congresswoman Cori Bush held a virtual press conference with Alex Garcia, his wife, and their team, hours after she introduced HB 1209, a private bill that would ultimately offer Alex Garcia legal permanent residency with a pathway to citizenship. In the short term, moving this bill through the legislative process could also provide opportunities for temporary protection from deportation, which would enable Alex to leave the church and live life with his family. To send a message of gratitude to Rep. Bush for her continued leadership, please click here.


Alex Needs a Pathway to Citizenship

The Biden transition team is talking with groups around the country right now to find the cases that are the most urgent to be solved. We know that a solution in Alex’s case would not only help him, but so many other families. We know if we are able to build enough support - anything is possible.

We need 100,000 signatures on his petition so we can make fixing his situation a number 1 priority for the incoming administration. Please, add your name to Alex’s petition.


Meet Alex

Alex came to the US from Honduras nearly 20 years ago seeking safety and a better life. Since then, he has become a respected member of his community and a pillar of support for his family. His oldest son was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome in 2014 and depends on his strong relationship with his father to calm his stress and anxiety. For his eldest and his four other children, Alex is an incredible source of support and a role model. In addition to caring for their children, two of which are younger than school-age, his wife of seven years works 40 hours a week and relies heavily on Alex for emotional and financial support.

Faced with deportation in 2015, Alex petitioned for and was granted a Stay of Removal for a period of one year. Each year since then, he worked with an attorney to file a new request to receive permission to stay in the United States for another year and continue to care for his family. Up until 2017, the government acknowledged Alex’s responsibilities as a devoted father and husband and granted yearly permission. In 2017, however, ICE denied Alex’s request and gave him a date to report for removal from this country. Alex is needed at home and especially in the life of his oldest son with Asperger’s whose well-being and progress heavily relies on the consistency and guidance of his father.

IMG_2343.JPG
IMG_2367.JPG
IMG_2319.JPG

Family separation, by sanctuary, incarceration, or deportation, is devastating, immoral and un-American. More than 55 years ago, the actions of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that led to his arrest on Good Friday and the words of the powerful letter he wrote from the Birmingham Jail still ring true today: “The time is always ripe to do right. Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity.” The time for liberation, dignity and justice is right now. The time is certainly ripe to do right for the Garcia family. We are part of a struggle that started long before us, has taken many forms, and yet tirelessly persists. Let us not forget that now is the time.

#AlexBelongsHere @AlexBelongsHere #sanctuaryrising #stlsanctuary