By Rev. Dr. Jill Hardt Zundel, Senior Pastor of Central UMC Detroit

In 2017, the ministry team of Detroit:Central United Methodist Church voted to become a sanctuary church.  We had an apartment in the church that wasn’t being used.  How hard could it be?  We found out the next year.

On January 15, 2018, the Rranxburgaj Family moved in to our church seeking sanctuary. Ded and Flora had been living in the United States undocumented for 17 years.  When they first arrived here, they applied for asylum from the communist rule in Albania.  That is a legal process.  They were denied asylum.  While their case was in appeal, Flora was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis which now has her confined to a wheel chair.  Because of this, both Flora and Ded were given stays of removal on humanitarian reasons.  Every year they have to check in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and every year for 17 years they have been given stays of removal.  Ded never broke the law, paid taxes, and worked to provide for his family.

In the end of 2017, Ded received a final order of deportation and was ordered to purchase a one way ticket back to Albania.  He was to report on January 25.  On January 15th, ICE asked him to come in for a check in.  His lawyer advised against it because he believed Ded would be detained until deportation.  Because of this, Ded, Flora and their two sons, Lorenc and Eric moved into our church.  

We partnered with Michigan United to make this case public so people could see the cruelty of the situation.  We wrote letters, protested at the ICE office, invited elected officials to meet with the family, we even had a pilgrimage walk to Lansing to bring attention to this family’s plight.

But when the Rranxburgaj family moved in, ICE labeled him a fugitive and refused any longer to look at the merits of the case.  Ded’s lawyer has appealed and appealed for the label of “fugitive” to be removed to no avail.

Ded spends his time during the summer on the roof growing vegetables for our homeless guests.  Flora spends her time watching tv and visiting with family.  Until COVID hit and isolation crept in.  We no longer could safely hold worship in our sanctuary and meetings no longer take place in the building.  Family cannot visit Ded and Flora because of the pandemic and her compromised immune system.  Ded said to me when we were first on lock down, “Now you know how I feel every day.”

There is good news however.  Lawyers from the University of Pennsylvania have partnered with the ACLU and have sent this case to the United States Supreme Court.  We should find out by the end of February if the court will take up the case.  There is also hope that with a new administration we will be able to work with the senate and congress to pass a bill specifically for the Rranxburgaj family.

They missed their son, Lorenc’s graduation from college and Eric’s graduation from high school.  Both of their children have moved out of the apartment so it is just Ded and Flora there now.

The church hired Ded as the janitor so he is earning a living wage while here.  He looks forward to the day when he will be free.

People ask how they can support the family.  Financial aid is helpful and checks may be written to the church in care of sanctuary to help them during their time here and also to help them restart their lives when they move out of the church.  

There is also a form letter you can send to your congress people and senators to ask them to look at this case.

And you can pray that we move forward to a day when we truly welcome the stranger in as Christ commands us!

Letters for Michigan Residents to send to Senator Stabenow and Senator Peters

General Letter with Instructions to send to your Congresspersons and Senators