Illegal immigrant seeks sanctuary at Seattle’s Saint Mark’s Cathedral

Seattle’s Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral is offering sanctuary to an illegal immigrant from Mexico. Jaime Rubio Sulficio, a local construction company owner, is now living at the church.

Michael Ramos is the Executive Director for the Church Council of Greater Seattle, and joined the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH to discuss this decision by the church.

“Jaime has worked very hard in this country, he’s developed his own business, and he has a family, and basically he wants to keep his family together,” Ramos said.

“I think he’s doing a lot in this community, and as faith communities, we believe that families belong together, and we’re hoping that a legal remedy might be possible that allows his family to stay together here.”

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Ramos says Jaime previously had a stay of deportation granted as a discretionary measure by ICE, but that discretion was not extended recently. It is not certain why the change of mind from the immigration authorities was made.

“We’re continuing to support his case, and that his lawyer representing him might be able to achieve a stay of removal again,” Ramos said. “So that his family can stay together and he can go back to work running his construction company.”

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Jaime’s wife and son are American citizens, but he remains in a legal grey area which his lawyer and supporters are seeking to rectify. While Ramos noted that church sanctuary is a moral protection and not a legal protection, he hopes it will draw attention to numerous cases like this one.

“I’m not an expert in the legal system, but because he has been in the deportation process, the remedy which used to be available for people who are married to citizens is not as readily available.”

“He’s caught in a system which is in need of reform.”

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