Mexican Immigrant Who Sought Refuge In Arizona Church Granted Stay In U.S.

Daniel Neyoy Ruiz, a Mexican immigrant who took refuge in an Arizona church to avoid deportation from a country where he has lived illegally for over a decade and raised a family can stay in the United States, a federal official said on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

Ruiz, 36, had been ordered to report for voluntary deportation in May, but in a high-profile challenge to U.S. immigration policy he instead turned to a Tucson church whose leaders were involved in a movement to give sanctuary to Central American refugees in the 1980s, Reuters reported.

After spending nearly a month in the church, Neyoy Ruiz was notified by immigration officials on Monday that he had been granted a one-year stay, which can be renewed annually and includes a work permit, according to Reuters.

"I cried," Neyoy Ruiz said of the decision granting him a stay, which had been twice denied previously, Reuters reported. "I cried out of happiness and we hugged each other knowing that this was done."

Neyoy Ruiz, who has a teenage son who is a U.S. citizen, was ordered to report for voluntary deportation stemming from a 2011 traffic stop, according to Reuters. After he took refuge in the church on May 13, immigration officials said they would not immediately act to deport him.

"Daniel's case is not exceptional, and the fact that he was never granted prosecutorial discretion and then later denied a stay of removal should be reviewed by immigration officials," said Margo Cowan, the family's lawyer, Reuters reported.

Federal immigration officials have focused their enforcement efforts on stopping illegal border crossers and deporting unauthorized immigrants convicted of crimes, according to Reuters. Ruiz has never been convicted of a crime, his attorney said.

Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which seeks to limit numbers entering the United States, criticized the action, Reuters reported.

"While law enforcement agencies should prioritize cases, there's no reason that a deportation order shouldn't be enforced," Mehlman said, according to Reuters.