Connecticut

Family to Leave Connecticut Church That Gave Sanctuary

A family from Pakistan that has lived at a Connecticut church for seven months to avoid deportation says they are leaving to resume their lives as they await a court ruling on their residency status.

The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme says Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have indicated they are not opposing the couple's stay request.

Malik Naveed bin Rehman, his wife Zahida Altaf, and their 5-year-old daughter have been staying at the church since March. The church said it allowed the family to stay while they challenged a deportation order in the courts.

Federal officials say they family came to the U.S. in 2000 and stayed past their visas' expiration dates.

The family is planning to return home to New Britain where they run a pizza shop

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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