<\/p>\n
On Monday, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet met with Rosa Sabido, a Cortez resident from Mexico who has been living in sanctuary at the Mancos United Methodist Church since June 2017.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told him my story, and he was very open and friendly,\u201d Sabido said of the 15-minute private meeting on an outdoor church patio.<\/p>\n
The former church secretary has lived in Montezuma County for 32 years after moving to the U.S. with her mother.<\/p>\n
She fought for decades to gain residency but has not been successful. When threatened with deportation, the church community offered her sanctuary, and she has been living there ever since advocating for her case and immigration reform.<\/p>\n
Sabido has been reaching out to legislators in the hope they will introduce a private immigration bill in Congress that would grant her residency status.<\/p>\n
From there she could continue the application process toward citizenship.<\/p>\n
Sabido said Bennet, a Democrat, did not commit to a private immigration bill during the meeting, and she said the focus of the meeting was for her to share her story.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was nice to talk with him in person. He listened and asked about me and my family. Bennet has been helpful in my case in the past, and we\u2019ve kept in touch,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Sabido said she is waiting until after the November election before seeking a private immigration bill.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is so divisive right now in Congress, where bills are stopped before they have a chance to go anywhere,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n