An immigrant mother who was granted a temporary reprieve to stay in the U.S. left the Philadelphia church she had been living in for the past two months Saturday.
"It's a huge load off my mind," Angela Navarro told NBC10 through a translator. "I don't have words for it."
Navarro lived at the West Kensington Ministry with her husband and two children in order to avoid deportation. Immigration authorities issued the order more than 10 years ago, when Navarro was 17. She had been picked up while illegally entering the United States from Honduras.
Navarro is now married to an American citizen and has two U.S.-born children.
Navarro sought refuge Nov. 18 at West Kensington, vowing not to leave until the order was lifted. Authorities generally don't pursue enforcement actions in places of worship.
Navarro's supporters said Thursday her removal order was suspended for two years.
"It was super important because I didn't know if there was a way out," Navarro said. "And I'm glad I decided to seek sanctuary and that we won."
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Navarro's attorney, Patricia Luber, has fought the deportation since the beginning.
"From woman to woman, she's an amazing human being," Luber said. "Legally, we move to reopen her case and we can with the peace of mind that she's protected for the next two years without being deported while that's going on."
