PHILADELPHIA -- A father of three who entered the United States illegally nearly 20 years ago and who has been previously deported moved into a Philadelphia church this weekend as he seeks sanctuary from federal authorities trying to force him to leave the country again.
Javier Flores and his family moved into Arch Street United Methodist Church on Sunday morning, according to the immigrant advocacy organization Juntos, which said Flores "took a stand to protect his family." The South Philadelphia-based group is calling for an end to Flores' deportation case.
Flores first came to the United States in 1997 and has been deported from the country and returned multiple times, according to an online petition about his case on the Not1More website. Flores was detained in 2015 and released three months ago under the supervision of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to prepare for his deportation, according to Philly.com.
The news organization said Flores was scheduled to surrender on Monday.
Flores had applied for a U-Visa, which allows immigrants who were victims of crime in the U.S. to stay in the country under certain circumstances. The application was denied because of Flores' multiple deportations and reentries, according to the Not1More petition.
His lawyer is appealing.
Arch Street United Methodist Church on Monday posted a message on Facebook saying that they had "welcomed Javier's family into our family! Thank you, Javier, for allowing us to support you in your courageous efforts to resist oppression and support and love your family."
The move comes after an election that saw intense focus on immigration by the Republican candidate and now President-elect Donald Trump, who has called for the deportation of all immigrants in the country illegally and the construction of a wall along the border with Mexico.
Trump has since said he plans to immediately deport all immigrants with criminal records in the country illegally and after the border is secure, a determination would be made about other immigrants.
Erin O'Neill may be reached at eoneill@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LedgerErin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.