Portland Community Rallies Around Immigrant Seeking Refuge In Church

An immigrant who sought asylum in a church in Portland, Oregon to avoid deportation is receiving support from the town's mayor and local community.

35-year-old Francisco Aguirre, a native of El Salvador, has vowed to remain at Augustana Lutheran Church in Portland until his immigration case is resolved. Aguirre entered the country illegally in the 1990's, and was found guilty in 1998, at the age of 19, of two drug dealing convictions.

Aguirre was sent back to El Salvador but re-entered the U.S. unlawfully in 2000. He then became the coordinator of a local nonprofit that manages a day laborer center, and Aguirre has two U.S.-born children.

Members of the Portland community are rallying around Aguirre, saying that although his past criminal record indicates fault, he is a participating member of the community and should not be sent back to El Salvador due to mistakes that happened over 15 years ago. Aguirre has maintained that he was innocent in the drug-related charges.

"Francisco Aguirre has been a community leader in Portland and an important voice on issues of equity and immigrant rights [...] I believe Francisco should remain in the United States, and in Portland, until his case can reach a humane conclusion," Portland Mayor Charlie Hales said in a statement.

Mark Knutson, The pastor of Augustana Lutheran Church also released a statement defending Aguirre, saying: "I'm not convinced he had justice in his case and want to presume his innocence."

 "But even if he did get in trouble with the law, are we a society that labels people for life as a criminal? Do we not forgive?" the pastor questioned. 

Aguirre told The Oregonian in his defense: "We all make mistakes […] We all have the right to fix those mistakes."