Dear friends and families,
At a press conference at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral on Monday, the 20th of December, we were thrilled to share with you that Jaime’s case has been reopened. Jaime will have his day in immigration court to consider whether he might be granted a path to remain in this country. Though it might take a year or longer until the date of the hearing, Jaime is no longer a priority for deportation, and he can safely leave Sanctuary without the fear of deportation and separation from me and our son.
While living in the Sanctuary, one of the hardest things to face every moment of the day was that we see the invisible wall around at the property line between the cathedral to the sidewalk on 10th ave E; the wall that our son and I pass through every day to his school and work, and the wall Jaime could not cross since March 28th, 2019.
After the press conference on Monday, Jaime, our son, and I together as a family were able to walk together from St. Mark’s Cathedral to Volunteer Park, a place that our son knows well through his school field trips and playdates. As our son guided us through the park with beaming smiles, we breathed in the newly gained freedom and hope for the future. Our legal process to Jaime’s permanent residency is far from over, but we will cherish and remember this moment of our first step toward the next chapter of our lives.
As Jaime has said in the press conference, we are so glad that there has been a village of people who supported him through these almost three years at St. Mark’s Cathedral. Because of you, he has felt strong and could wait, even though he has felt his ups and downs with an unforeseen future. As for the family, we received tremendous support for our well-being and assistance adjusting to the sudden changes and fear of Jaime’s potential forced separation constantly hanging over us.
Your friendship and advocacy moved our future toward this positive outcome. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
With profound gratitude,
Keiko Maruyama, on behalf of the Rubio Family
Learn more about Jaime’s Sanctuary journey:
The Press Conference on Monday, the 20th of December
“After three years of sanctuary in Seattle church, Mexican man finally free to leave”, by Lilly Anna Fowler for KNKX
“Man who took sanctuary at St. Mark’s in Seattle no longer under threat of deportation”, by Daisy Zavala for the Seattle Times
“Taking Sanctuary: Jaime Rubio and Keiko Maruyama”, 2019 interview on KBCS produced by Yuko Kodama
As we continue our work toward Jaime’s permanent pathway in this country, we would like to ask you to consider a contribution to the following organizations who provided us the support since Jaime took Sanctuary: Sanctuary ministry at St. Mark’s Cathedral, Sanctuary leadership at The Church Council of Greater Seattle, Family support and counseling at Asian Counseling and Referral Services.
Donate to St. Mark’s Cathedral – Sanctuary Ministry here
Donate to Church Council of Greater Seattle here
Donate to Asian Counseling and Referral Services here