His name is Feliciano Lopez. He is undocumented.  He is the only Mixtec Christian pastor in the Skagit Valley. He and his family were driven out of their village in the remote hillsides of Oaxaca, Southern Mexico many years ago, due to religious persecution. Away from their land,  it was only a matter of time before they would follow the Oaxacan exodus north across many deserts and borders.

Feliciano first came to Washington's fertile Skagit Valley 15 years ago.  On a narrow delta of soil between the Skagit's north and south forks called Fir Island, Feliciano has been pastoring the most vulnerable of incoming migrants in this area since he arrived. He counsels men lost in alcoholism, visits families, connects their gang-attracted sons to jobs with bosses he knows, and leads worship services three nights a week in a converted barn. When new migrant, Mixtec-speaking families arrive in the valley with nothing, Feliciano visits and welcomes them with small sacks of beans, rice, and a case of soda pop.

A few weeks ago, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) entered his home looking for another undocumented man. Unable to find him, they took and detained Feliciano at a nearby prison, then released him with an immigration hearing for removal. The clock is ticking.

According to an immigration attorney, the legal aspects are very straightforward:  Feliciano is ineligible for resolution of his status to avoid deportation because he does not have the 10 years of continuous residence required for cancellation of removal (due to his travel to Mexico under a grant of voluntary departure) and he does not have a relative qualified to sponsor him for a green card (an adult US citizen child or a US citizen spouse).

Join us at Tierra Nueva (www.tierra-nueva.org) in requesting a special bill from our Senator that would grant Feliciano and his family permission to live here and continue caring for the most vulnerable foreigners in our land. We invite you to sign this petition.