On Monday, Hilda who is currently in sanctuary in Austin, TX, received a letter from ICE telling her she owed the US government $303,000.00. This fine is being imposed on her as retaliation because she chose to protect herself and her 13 year-old son from deportation and the violence they faced in Guatemala. The law that authorizes this fine has been on the books since 1962, but has not been used against an individual before.
Make no mistake, the Trump administration wants to normalize prosecuting people of faith and churches that are helping immigrants. They prosecuted people in Arizona who were giving water to immigrants in the desert and are now attacking Hilda and other people who are in sanctuary churches in the United States. So far, we know ICE has sent about similar letters to 10 sanctuary leaders.
The Trump administration is trying to silence Hilda and the other immigrants who’ve taken refuge in churches across the country. We know this is just a step in their plan to one day break into a church to arrest people. But Hilda is fierce, and she will not be silenced. To stand with her and the Sanctuary movement, please add your name here: bit.ly/defendsanctuary and follow us for calls to action and updates.
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