Illegal alien taunts ICE from church refuge
ICE, if you're reading this, I know the precise location of an illegal alien who has an outstanding deportation order against her. Her name is Jeanette Vizguerra, and she is hiding at the First Unitarian Church at 1400 N. Lafayette St., Denver, Colorado.
I know this because Vizguerra's location is not exactly a closely guarded secret; she has spread it across national media to generate sympathy, in the process very publicly thumbing her nose at American law.
"It will not end today," Jeanette Vizguerra proudly said to the applause of her supporters. She spoke in her native tongue of Spanish to explain why she is fighting to remain in the U.S., despite efforts to deport her.
Very good! Why should she speak English rather than her "native" tongue while demanding to stay in the U.S.?
Vizguerra confidently spoke on Wednesday with her family surrounding her, saying she is challenging the federal government to live up to "American ideals." She has four children – three of whom are U.S. citizens, and an adult child who is legal to work under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
On Wednesday, a stay of deportation for Vizguerra was denied as she continued her quest in Centennial to keep her family whole. Vizguerra's lawyer advised her not to appear in person to the hearing, which was the sixth such hearing on her behalf.
Her lawyer told her to disregard the law? Do you think he attended an undocumented law school?
"I absolutely believe ICE would have arrested her this morning. It appears they had absolutely no intention of engaging in good faith," [her lawyer] Meyer said of documents that were signed when he appeared in the courthouse.
Good faith? About not enforcing immigration law?
She has been convicted of two misdemeanors during her time in the U.S. She served a 23-day sentence after her conviction. And in May 2013, she was convicted of illegal entry after going back to Mexico for her mother's funeral and returning to the United States.
Vizguerra has seen judges award her five successful stays of deportation before the sixth was denied on Wednesday, and Meyer directly attributed that to President Donald Trump.
Vizguerra added that she is more virtuous than President Trump because unlike him, she has been paying taxes – so she claims.
Questions for discussion:
1) Will churches offer sanctuary to anyone who disagrees with a law? A man, for example, who wants to own a machine gun or a woman who simply doesn't want to pay her taxes?
2) Will the Unitarians in this church pray for the people whose tax dollars go to educate and support Ms. Vizguerra and her children? Will they also pray for the American who did not get a job that Ms. Vizguerra now holds?
3) If the Unitarians at this church feel that people have the right to be wherever they want to be, do you think they would agree that 200 Syrian refugees have the right to take over their church and turn it into a mosque?
Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com.