The Jose Chicas shrine in North Carolina leaves the church grounds

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In June 2017, Chicas took shelter in the School for Conversion, a small house on the grounds of a Baptist church in Durham, North Carolina. At the time, he faced an eviction notice after years of checking in with ICE.

Chicas says he never expected to spend so long in a shrine.

“I had no idea what I was getting into,” he told CNN in a telephone interview this week as he packed his luggage and prepared to leave. “I thought it would take three or four months.”

But months turned into years.

His family lives nearby in Raleigh and has visited whenever they could. And from his environment in the grounds of St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church, Chicas – a pastor himself – continued to minister to his flock through live Facebook videos and occasional face-to-face meetings.

In his sermons he often preached about the power of salvation. The use of drugs and alcohol put him on a dangerous path, he says – one that led to a conviction for DUI and domestic violence and ultimately a deportation warrant. According to Chicas, he has been a changed man since 2002.

And he said this week that he is grateful that the policies of the Biden government give him another chance. He is looking forward to spending more time with his family – visiting parks and beaches and eating an ice cream.

“It will be a great change,” he said.

A new policy from the Biden administration went into effect Friday, blocking most deportations for 100 days, while officials review the policy to ensure “a fair and effective immigration enforcement system aimed at protecting national security, border security and public authorities. security, ”said a Department of Homeland Security press release. It’s not clear what will happen after that 100-day period is over, but Chicas says he is confident that the new president “has a different heart than the government that just left” and will find a solution to him. and helping millions of other undocumented immigrants. .
It is not clear whether other immigrants who have sought refuge in churches are leaving. A growing number of undocumented immigrants sought shelter in churches during Trump as the government intensified its crackdown on illegal immigration. An ICE policy limits the body from arresting someone in “sensitive locations” – schools, hospitals or places of worship – except in extenuating circumstances.
2018: They thought that living in churches would protect them. Now they are afraid that nowhere is safe anymore

According to Church World Service, in 2018, about 50 people lived in shrines in churches across the country. Officials of the organization did not immediately respond to a request from CNN for updated data.

Chicas said he spent many days in the shrine feeling forgotten, isolated, and full of fear for the future.

But there were also better moments.

“I’ve met so many people … I’ve come to realize that there are hundreds and hundreds of Americans who have good hearts and love immigrants,” he said. “I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this report.

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