For the past 15 months, Rosa Robles Loreto lived in sanctuary at Southside Presbyterian Church as she fought to stop her imminent deportation and stay with her family in the United States.
Over 461 days, 18,000 people declared their support for Rosa. Over 9,500 Tucson homes and businesses placed signs declaring “We Stand with Rosa.” Over 7,000 emails, phone calls, petitions and letters called on the Department of Homeland Security to stop Rosa’s deportation. And the Pima County Board of Supervisors and the Tucson City Council both passed resolutions urging favorable action on Rosa’s behalf.
On Wednesday, November 11, Rosa safely left the church and returned to her family home in Tucson, Arizona. Thank you.
When Rosa and I learned she could safely leave sanctuary, the first thing she said was “Thank you.” She has repeated this many times to supporters in Tucson. Thank you for your relentless support, faith and resilience. Of course, the gratitude is multidirectional. Rosa too has heard countless expressions of gratitude, gratitude for her courage, leadership and perseverance.
So as we celebrate this Thanksgiving please take a moment to ponder the many small yet significant acts that feed into bold, big acts when we are organized. Thank you for standing with Rosa and keeping this family together.
With gratitude,
Sarah Launius
No More Deaths volunteer, Keep Tucson Together cofounder
More on this victory:
- Community actions protect Rosa Robles Loreto from deportation, op-ed by Rev. Alison Harrington, pastor of Southside Presbyterian
- Rosa Robles is back home with her family, a full report from the press conference by Denise Holley