The Latest: Woman goes to Denver church to avoid deportation

CENTENNIAL, Colo. – The Latest on an immigrant who has taken refuge in a Denver church to avoid deportation (all times local):

2:48 p.m.

A Mexican woman seeking to avoid deportation is taking refuge in a Denver church after U.S. immigration authorities denied her request to remain in the country.

Jeanette Vizguerra (vihz-GEHR’-uh) skipped her scheduled check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials Wednesday in suburban Centennial. About 100 supporters demonstrated outside the building as her attorney, Hans Meyer, and a minister went inside and was told Vizguerra would not get another extension.

Meyer says the mother of four has been trying to get a visa granted to crime victims and the government has typically given extensions during that lengthy process.

ICE says she is an “enforcement priority” because she has two misdemeanour convictions and a judge had issued a deportation order for her in 2011.

Vizguerra vowed to continue her fight for her children’s sakes.

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11:36 a.m.

A Mexican woman seeking to avoid deportation is taking refuge in a Denver church after U.S. immigration authorities denied her request to remain in the country.

Jeanette Vizguerra (vihz-GEHR’-uh) skipped her scheduled check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials Wednesday in the suburb of Centennial. About 100 supporters demonstrated outside the building as her attorney went inside and was told Vizguerra would not get another extension.

Vizguerra’s attorney’s office says she emigrated from Mexico City to the Denver area in 1997 and had a few traffic tickets. The last one led to her being charged with a misdemeanour involving forged documents.

Vizguerra became an immigration rights activist even as she fought to stay in the country. Her case follows the deportation of a Phoenix-area woman last week under similar circumstances.