Springfield Church Provides Sanctuary To Woman Facing Deportation To Peru

A western Massachusetts church is providing sanctuary to a Peruvian woman facing deportation and her two children.

Members of the Springfield Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition said Monday the South Congregational United Church of Christ in Springfield is openings its doors to Gisella Collazo and her American-born children.

Collazo is married to an American citizen and has been in the U.S. for 17 years. She was told by immigration officials that she had until Tuesday to return to Peru.

The coalition she has had difficulty changing her status due to "multiple legal errors."

Rev. Tom Gerstenlauer is the church's senior minister. He says they "stand with Gisella as an act of faith in the face of injustice."

An ICE spokesman didn't immediately respond to an email on Monday.