Norwalk woman at risk of deportation granted stay

Nury Chavarria, who was on the verge of being deported for a decade back to Guatemala last week, has now been granted an emergency stay of that order, Wednesday, July 26, 2017, with her two of her four children, Lindsay, 18 and 9-year-old Hayley Chavarri, at far right, at a press conference at Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal Church in the Fair Haven section of New Haven. (Catherine Avalone  Hearst Connecticut Media) less Nury Chavarria, who was on the verge of being deported for a decade back to Guatemala last week, has now been granted an emergency stay of that order, Wednesday, July 26, 2017, with her two of her four ... more Photo: Catherine Avalone / Catherine Avalone/New Haven Register Photo: Catherine Avalone / Catherine Avalone/New Haven Register Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close Norwalk woman at risk of deportation granted stay 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

NEW HAVEN — Nury Chavarria, who was on the verge of being deported for a decade back to Guatemala last week, has now been granted an emergency stay of that order.

It has been an emotional roller coaster for the 43-year-old undocumented immigrant, who had gotten stays for multiple years based on humanitarian grounds, but was told in the last month to buy a one-way ticket to a country she has not seen in 24 years.

“Today, reason and compassion have prevailed,” Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a release. “There was never a rational justification for Nury Chavarria to have been threatened with deportation and separated from her children, and I applaud this decision by ICE and the court to allow her to continue living and working in the United States with her family.

“Members of the community had their voices heard, and I am glad that we could work with federal and local officials and advocates to achieve this outcome. Immigrants are vital to the fabric of our nation. Rather than focusing on those living peacefully within our borders, our attention should be on those who do harm to others,” Malloy said.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., also in a statement, said “Justice and reason have prevailed and Nury will be allowed to temporarily return to her home in Norwalk as we continue to fight for long-term relief.

“The facts in this case are clear and compelling, and I am hopeful that once granted her day in court Nury will be awarded the legal status she deserves. I remain in close contact with Nury, her legal team and advocates to provide all support possible to resolve this humanitarian nightmare. Nury’s plight is the direct result of an immigration system that has lost all sense of humanity—a betrayal of fundamental American values. As we fight for Nury and her family, I remain committed to comprehensive immigration reform to bring lasting justice to this badly broken system,” Blumenthal said.

Chavarria had decided she could not leave her four U.S. citizen children behind and took up sanctuary in Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal in Fair Haven a week ago with her youngest, nine-year-old, Hayley Chavarria.

What was going to be another rally Wednesday demonstrating continuing local support for her and similarly situated immigrants, turned into a celebration with friends, officials and church leaders joining Chavarria.

Since she started living in the church, Immigration and Customs Enforcement had characterized Chavarria as a fugitive.

But Chavarria by last weekend seemed to have found some peace of mind as she spoke to a reporter in the Fair Haven church with her youngest child nearby.

“We have a lot more friends now,” she said with a tired little smile that day. “I feel better when I have a lot of people around for me and my family.”

On Sunday, more than 200 people came to her new home at the church to bring a message from the outside world: She is loved, supported and the fight has just begun.

Approximately midway through a planned vigil on a hill beside the church, an emotional Chavarria briefly addressed the crowd in Spanish from behind a fence guarded by volunteers, thanking the community for being there and for supporting her.

“I commend ICE and the federal court on this decision,” Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman said in a release. “For years, Ms. Chavarria has abided by the requirements set forth by immigration officials in order to stay in this country, raise her children, go to work, and support her family. I’m grateful to the many advocates and the church community that took a brave stand to protect her, to fight for her, and to call attention to a situation that, if allowed to proceed unchecked, would not have furthered our national security interests. I hope Ms. Chavarria and her family are able to move past this traumatic situation and get back to their lives.”