Desperate To Avoid Deportation, She Hasn't Left Sanctuary For 8 Months

Sandra Lopez hasn't left the house for eight months. If she does, she could be deported.

People come to her instead; the English tutor might stop by one day, the yoga instructor the next. Lopez says these visits are welcome distractions from the boredom that comes with being in sanctuary.

"When you enter sanctuary, you know the date, the hour, the minute, but you don't know when you're going to leave," says Lopez, who's originally from Mexico. "It could be months. It could be years."

While it's difficult to know exactly how many migrants have been provided sanctuary in houses of worship, Lopez is one of at least 42 people whose cases have been publicly documented, according to a tally by the refugee resettlement organization Church World Service.

Listen to this piece on NPR’s All Things Considered.

Listen to the version that aired on Aspen Public Radio, which won an “Award of Excellence” from the Colorado Broadcasters Association.