This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Sanctuary for El Salvador refugees sparks local church protest
In Markham, Illinois, the Mennonite church at 16200 Kedzie publicly offered sanctuary to Mauricio Acosta Garcia, a U.S. refugee from El Salvador, despite federal law against harboring illegal aliens. Church leaders frame their act as civil disobedience guided by moral duty, while INS officials call the church action illegal but downplay enforcement. Garcia, in his early 20s, described El Salvador’s violence and the risks faced by dissidents, praising the church’s protection as a safe haven and expressing gratitude for being welcomed by the community.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Maribeth Vander Weele
el Salvador
Paul Weaver
Mauricio Acosta Garcia
Markham Community Mennonite Church
Kedzie
Garcia
Chuck Neufeld
Markham
Chicago
United States of America
Neufeld
Central America
U.S Immigration and Naturalizaton Service
INS
Robert Esbrook
Immigration Service
Weaver
Guatemala
Mexico
U.S
State Department