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Reno church gives sanctuary to immigrant

Posted at 8:41 PM, Apr 04, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-04 23:52:23-04

A Reno church is offering sanctuary to a man facing deportation.

David Chavez-Macias has lived in the Reno area for about 30 years. According to KTVN, he received a traffic ticket in 2013 and had his work permit revoked.

While Chavez-Macias has tried to become a U.S. citizen, he says his lawyers made mistakes and that caused application problems.

A reverend at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship says Chavez-Macias shouldn't be forced to leave the country.

"You can imagine spending 30 years of your life in a place, this is his community," Rev. Neal Anderson said.

The Nevada branch of Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it has a policy that avoids enforcing action in sensitive places such as schools and churches.