John Binder, Breitbart, May 22, 2017

A new report reveals how churches nationwide are harboring illegal immigrants, helping them evade federal immigration orders for deportation.

In a 60 Minutes special report, more than 800 churches are acting as mini-sanctuary jurisdictions to hide illegal immigrants from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

ICE has a long-standing policy in which agents do not detain illegal immigrants at churches, making the facilities an ideal spot to avoid deportation orders.

In a Buffalo, New York, church profiled, parish staff confirmed that they recently harbored an illegal alien family of four from Honduras. Since January, the church officials said it protected more than 40 migrants.

Rev. Robin Hynicka of Philadelphia’s Arch Street Methodist Church explained how he believes enforcing federal immigration laws are oppressive to illegal immigrants who remain in the U.S.

“It’s injustice and oppression, all of which is evil,” Hynicka said. “Yeah, when a human being’s human rights are denied, when they can’t stay with their family, when they can’t work, when they can’t participate in the community in which they have deep roots, all of those apply.”

In one specific case, Hynicka’s church has been harboring Javier Flores Garcia, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who came to the U.S. in 1997. Garcia was arrested and convicted for drunk driving, and despite an immigration judge ordering him be deported, he remains hiding out in Arch Street Methodist Church.

{snip}