(pensive music) - The concept of sanctuary, it's really ancient.

It's the holy place, a place that is set apart from the world.

When you're in the presence of the God, the God is in control, not the outside world.

Just where is it that the church begins that the God's realm begins and the world ends?

And can you hide in there between the two?

(pensive music) But I think there's another argument here that is much more important, which is the question of whether or not Christianity expects you to stand against injustice.

So it's a moral question.

So I, as a Christian, I'm taking this stand that what is being done to you is immoral and I will protect you.

(pensive music) One of the problems, of course, with law is that when you get real people involved, there are real people, real stories.

I mean, obviously this is an act of desperation.

You don't lock yourself in a church and not come out unless you were desperate and you feel that you have no other recourse but to turn to God.

And the fact that you believe you can is really quite remarkable because this is not something that's been legal anywhere for a very long time.

But clearly, the cultural memory of God can protect you.

The people of God will protect you is very, very deep.

(traffic whooshing) (pensive music) - [Reporter] Mother of two ordered to leave the United States and return to her home country, seeking sanctuary tonight.

- Now she is an undocumented immigrant from Honduras.

She actually was fleeing domestic violence back in 2014.

- [Reporter] This is the first church in Utah to offer sanctuary to someone who was supposed to be deported.

And again, Vicky, an undocumented immigrant was scheduled to take a plane to Honduras tonight.

But in the last couple of hours, we learned she was going to stay.

- [Parent] Shh.

(baby gurgling) (baby gurgling) - [Interviewee] She was tired, I mean, drained.

You can see a lot of tension being just just lifted from her shoulders.

- Let's go, open, the door, please.

(Vicky speaking in Spanish) - [Interviewee] You know, truthfully, we found out about two hours before she came here, but we were ready.

We were absolutely ready for her.

(Vicky singing in Spanish) - We have no idea how long this will take, but we were in it for the long haul.

(Vicky singing in Spanish) (Vicky speaking in Spanish) (Vicky singing in Spanish) (people chattering) - The sermon on Sunday is about migration in a hostile world.

I think we need to, as a culture, really reexamine who our neighbors are.

And this is certainly not the time to build walls between neighbors.

Now is the time to love our neighbors as ourselves.

It's one thing to talk about compassion from the pulpit, another thing entirely to open your hearts in a compassionate way and welcome someone into your sanctuary.

(child giggling) - You're gonna have to work for that win, my friend.

(child giggling) - Oh, I win.

- Piano.

- No, I win first.

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20.

Got you.

- [Playmate] Oh, knew where I was.

- I spy with my little eye something rainbow.

- Yeah.

(parent shouting playfully) (child giggling) - Yeah.

- Let's get up.

(Vicky speaking in Spanish) (teacher speaking in Spanish) - Pretty.

- [Teacher] And now you can use the color pink.

- Thank you.

Your English is good.

- Thank you.

(Vicky speaking in Spanish) - Huh?

(Vicky speaking in Spanish) - My friend Paisley used to show me how to make turquoise.

- You miss Paisley?

- Yeah.

(baby gurgling) - [Interviewee] Right now we have seen no evidence of ICE.

Maybe it's because they haven't gotten their plant together, maybe because this is a church.

But so far it has been a relief not to have them in sight.

And I hope it stays that way.

(Vicky speaking in Spanish) (lively music) - That she could come and be given shelter is really powerful.

And it speaks well of our society that there are still people who will do this.

(machine whirring) It's also quite an amazing act on the part of the people in the church, 'cause it's the Unitarian church.

They don't tie back to that medieval tradition at all.

What they're tying to is their personal moral stance.

The way in which they feel that they must live their lives in relationship to good and evil and presented with a clear personal case of injustice, their response is equally clear, which we have to help her no matter what the law says 'cause there is a higher law.

God commands that we should love our neighbors as ourselves.

And who wouldn't feel that confronted with a woman with her small children?

(pensive music)