From Associated Press.

Church leaders at The Shrine of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic church two miles from the White House, say more than 40 members of their parish have been detained, deported or both, since federal law enforcement stepped up their deployment in August.

Sacred Heart, once intended to be a sanctuary for worshippers, is now a mostly immigrant congregation steeped in fear.

But the church community rejects being reduced to powerless victims. During the crisis, pastors and church volunteers have attended immigration court hearings, covered rent and legal fees, and donated and delivered food to those fearful of leaving home.

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