The governor is stepping in to try to help local Indonesians who are facing deportation.

Gov. Chris Sununu sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking that his administration reconsider its decision to deport as many as 69 local Indonesian Christians. These members of the local Indonesian community fled religious persecution, but were denied asylum in the United States.

Through a program called Operation Indonesian Surrender, they have been allowed to stay and some have been here for 20 years or more.

Over the past few months, as they have been reporting in at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, many have been told to buy airline tickets to return to Indonesia.

In September, Chief Judge Patti Saris at the U.S. District Court in Boston stopped the deportations one day before a Somersworth man was expected to leave the country.

In his letter to the president, Sununu said while their deportations are temporarily on hold the outcome of their case remains uncertain.

“For the reasons described in this letter, I am respectfully requesting that your administration reconsider its decision to deport these individuals, and I urge a resolution that will allow them to remain in the United States,” Sununu said.

Sununu said their cases deserve close examination, and the protection from persecution that all people of faith deserve regardless of what faith they choose to practice. At a time of rising violence against people of various faiths around the world, such protection has never been more important, he said.

“People such as these 69 individuals who have made an honest attempt to navigate the legal process, who have a valid legal claim for asylum, and who have come forward to work with authorities should not be on the front line for deportation," the governor stated in his letter.

According to Sununu, these local Indonesian families have become an integral part of their neighborhoods, schools and churches and they seek to practice their Christian faith without fear of persecution.

Sununu wrote that he firmly believes the United States must take steps to curb illegal immigration and that the process for legal immigration needs to be more streamlined and practical. He said their case serves as a perfect example of why changes are needed.

“They came to this country fleeing persecution, and were met with the burdensome and confusing requirements that accompany the asylum process,” Sununu wrote. “It is not realistic to expect that those who flee persecution will have the resources to navigate a complicated legal process.”

“I welcome Gov. Sununu’s decision to join the effort to defend these Indonesian members of our Seacoast community,” Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter said. “Sen. Shaheen and I have been working on behalf of these families for some time and recent progress has been positive, but more voices and support will bolster our case to stop these deportations.”

Rev. Sandra Pontoh, of the Maranatha Indonesian United Church of Christ, was at a UCC conference where the group had and just passed a resolution to support immigrants.

“This makes me so very happy,” Pontoh said. “To know that the governor said something like this it is very important.”

Eva Castillo, director of the New Hampshire Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees, was also at the conference with Rev. Pontoh.

“I was just talking to Sandra that this is the power of the faith community, raising awareness and building partnerships," Castillo said. "We could not have done it alone. We went to the media just in time, and even though people took risks telling their stories, they did so. I am really happy that the governor has taken this action on behalf the Indonesians.”

Nixon Peabody attorney Ronaldo Rauseo-Ricupero has been leading the case for the Indonesians in federal court in Boston. So far Nixon Peabody has stopped the deportations as Rauseo-Ricupero and the other attorneys try to buy time for reopening the individual immigration cases.

“That is great news,” Rauseo-Ricupero said. “We are glad for any public officials who are able to weigh in to support the efforts of those who are supporting the petitioners.”

Maggie Fogarty, Co-Director of the NH Program for American Friends Service Committee said she is very grateful for Governor Sununu's intervention on behalf of these New Hampshire families.

"He is right to point out that our current immigration policies are harmful and in urgent need of dramatic reformulation," Fogarty said. "I hope the Trump Administration takes his plea to heart. At the same time, advocates for immigrant rights will continue in our own efforts to insist that these and all deportations be stopped."