Activists want Biden to issue deportation moratorium

Francisca Lino stands in front of a picture of her family outside Adalberto United Methodist Church at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. Lino sought sanctuary at the Humboldt Park church more than three years ago, and has lived there ever since. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Standing in front of the Humboldt Park church she calls home, Francisca Lino called on President Joe Biden to issue a 200-day moratorium on deportations and bring home 2 million deportees.

Lino, whose husband and five children are U.S. citizens, has fought to remain in the U.S. legally for nearly 20 years. She took sanctuary in Adalberto United Methodist Church, 2716 W. Division St., over three years ago; she cannot leave without risking deportation. At a press conference Wednesday just outside the church, she said her family represents millions of mixed status families across the country who “continue to live in the shadows.”

José López, executive director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, said despite the end of Donald Trump’s presidency, a long struggle remains for millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States.

“Even though we’re looking at a new administration, it doesn’t mean that things are immediately going to change,” López said.

Activist Emma Lozano said a moratorium alone is not enough. At the end of those 200 days, Lozano said, undocumented immigrants like Lino would have to re-enter sanctuary and millions nationwide will again be targeted for deportation. Undocumented immigrants do not want to hear promises of immigration reform anymore, she said — they want action.

This past year, millions of undocumented people, despite facing deportation, have risked their lives as essential workers during the pandemic, Lozano said. They have continued to work, she said, unable to quarantine, lacking proper personal protective gear and not eligible for government stimulus payments or unemployment benefits. The country needs a bill that legislatively protects mixed status families and allows those already deported to return home, she said.

Cecilia Garcia (right), whose husband was deported in 1998 and in 2012, stands outside Adalberto United Methodist Church Wednesday. Garcia joined undocumented immigrants and advocates at the church to urge President Joe Biden to pass a moratorium on deportations and support the American Right to Family Act.

“We are very hopeful, but we are very impatient,” Lozano said. “We will not settle for a bill that only protects some of us.”

U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush introduced the American Right to Family Act in October, during the previous Congress, but it did not make it out of committee. The bill grants temporary residency to parents of citizens who have lived in the U.S. for 10 years. The proposed legislation would also try to reunite families by providing a pathway for deported individuals to return to the country.

Lino said Rush plans to introduce the bill again in the next few weeks.

Biden has previously promised to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. He signed several executive orders Wednesday afternoon to reverse elements of Trump’s immigration policies. Biden’s orders include one that seeks to fortify the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

“It will be a great blessing to go home to my family without fear,” Lino said. “But we cannot delay the passing of a federal law that will protect all of our families.”