CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A 42-year-old Akron woman scheduled to be deported Thursday was granted sanctuary in the Forest Hill Presbyterian Church.

Leonor Garcia has moved into a makeshift apartment above the church at 3031 Monticello Road. Her four children, ages 3-to-19 will remain in their home in Akron but stay with her on weekends.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesman Khaalid Walls said agents will not attempt to remove her from the church. He cited ICE policy that says agents will "avoid conducting enforcement activities in sensitive areas" that includes places of worship, schools and hospitals.

Garcia has been living in the United States without documentation for at least 20 years. She is the sole support of her four American-born children since her husband was deported in 2011.

She was facing deportation more than seven years ago but was given a reprieve after ICE officials learned of her circumstances. Since then, she was able to stay in the United States. That changed this year when Immigration and Customs Enforcement stepped up its arrests and deportations.

On Aug. 1, Garcia checked in with ICE for what she thought would be a routine meeting. Instead, in a scenario that has become common in the past six months, she was affixed with an ankle monitor and told she would be deported Septemer 14.

"Her case was presented to us by a friend of the church," said John Lentz, pastor of the Forest Hill church. "After discussing the matter with our congregation, we decided to offer to allow her to live here in the church until she can resolve her immigration issues. She is involved in her community, has no criminal record and is a good person."

The church turned the upstairs into an apartment with a kitchen, bathroom and living quarters. Lentz said he expected ICE to honor their sanctuary.

When asked what he would do if more families sought sanctuary, Lentz became thoughtful.

"I don't know if we have the capacity to house any more people," he said. "But I would hope that other churches in the area step forward and start doing the same."

Representatives of other area churches spoke in support of Lentz' actions.

Lynn Tramonte, a Cleveland Heights resident who is an official with the national immigrant support group America's Voice, said other churches in the country have opened doors to people facing deportation, including a church in Columbus. She said Garcia should be safe in the church.

"Immigration entering a church to arrest someone would be a violation of a sacred space," she said. "They've never done it."