Fast action for a family in sanctuary

   Tuesday evening we had a beautiful service at Southside Presbyterian Church here in Tucson. Yesterday Arizona Public Media wrote about it.

   "A Mexican immigrant facing deportation took refuge Tuesday at the Tucson church where the 1980s sanctuary movement was born. This is the first time in more than 30 years that Southside Presbyterian has allowed a family to stay for sanctuary, church officials said.

   "About a month ago, Neyoy Ruiz said he received a letter from the immigration agency giving him 30 days to appear at the Tucson immigration office for voluntary deportation.The deadline for turning himself in ended at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.

   "About 50 people cheered for Neyoy Ruiz as he and his family arrived at the church for a press conference and religious ceremony with clergy from about a dozen churches of different denominations.

   "Neyoy Ruiz, a maintenance supervisor at a townhouse complex in Tucson, listened as his father played guitar and sang after readings from the Bible. At the end of the ceremony, people gathered around Neyoy Ruiz, his wife and 13-year-old, U.S.-born son, holding hands or placing their palms on each other's shoulder...

   "Neyoy Ruiz was detained in a 2011 traffic stop when a police officer noticed smoke coming out of the back of his car and contacted the Border Patrol,.. (He) was taken to an immigration detention center where he spent a month in custody...

   "For three years, Neyoy Ruiz has continued to live and work in Tucson waiting to hear about his possible deportation. 'At night I would wonder, what is going to happen to me? … What’s going to happen to my family if I’m deported?' he said. 'I provide for my wife and teenage son.'"

   Then, tonight at El Tiradito shrine, just as we were about to begin our weekly prayer vigil for the thousands of migrants who have died in the desert (many of them simply trying to reunite with their families), we learned that Neyoy Ruiz's order of deportation had been removed. The Arizona Daily Star posted this report:

   "A Mexican man who was ordered to leave the country but has taken sanctuary in a Tucson church won't be deported, immigration officials say.  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement accepted an administrative request to close the order against Daniel Neyoy Ruiz, a 36-year-old man who has lived in the states since 2000. (He) was supposed to leave the country by the end of Tuesday after being caught by immigration authorities following a traffic stop. He refused to leave and instead took sanctuary at Southside Presbyterian Church.

   "The decision by ICE on Thursday essentially means Neyoy Ruiz is not a priority for the agency and that it won't actively seek to deport him."