An immigrant in western Massachusetts has just a hit a milestone of sorts: two years living in a church to avoid deportation.
In the fall of 2017, Immigration and Customs Enforcement ordered Lucio Perez to leave the country.
Instead, he entered the First Church in Amherst and has been living there ever since.
He's 38 and is originally from Guatemala. Perez has a wife and three children who were born in the U.S.
Perez said he spends his days teaching Spanish, learning English and playing with his kids when they visit.
He said the two-year anniversary of entering the church hasn't been easy for him.
"It's very hard for me in this moment," he said. "I think a lot when my kids say, 'When you come back home, dad? I miss you. You the best dad. I miss you.'"
Federal immigration officials have said, for the most part, they won't try to arrest people in "sensitive locations," including churches.
