Back to the BYU Cougars Newsfeed

Mother seeking sanctuary in Utah church denied asylum

Related Topics: Utah, Mother, Sanctuary, Honduras, Religion

A mother who has been staying in a Utah church with her two daughters has been denied asylum after waiting for six months, according to the activist group Unidad Inmigrante (Immigrant Unity).

Vicky Chavez and her daughters — ages 6 and 4 months — have been staying in a classroom that was converted to a living space at the First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City since Jan. 30.

Amy Dominguez, spokeswoman for Unidad Inmigrante, told The Salt Lake Tribune in January that Chavez fled Honduras for asylum in the United States in 2014 because of domestic abuse, violence and economic and social upheaval in her native country.