More than 200 people of different faiths gathered at St. Jerome Catholic Church in Norwalk on Monday night to support Jung Courville and her family. She’s a mother of two U.S.-born boys and is facing deportation to South Korea.
Courville, her husband Rich, and their two sons stood near the pulpit and sang America the Beautiful.
Courville is the primary caregiver for her son who has spina bifida. She’s also one of three parents in Connecticut who have gone public that they face deportation, even though they don’t have a criminal record and have been regularly checking in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Rich Courville remembers his wife’s recent check-in, when she got the order to leave.
“In Hartford at the time I watched them give the same letter to about six people. It seemed to be like the blanket thing, just, ‘No, no, no. Go back, go back.”
But the family heard from several faith leaders, Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling, and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, who want to help Courville stay.
“We need to work at comprehensive immigration reform, and in the meantime work for men and women like Jung and her family, the Courville family, who deserve better.”
Supporters signed more than 400 letters of protest to federal immigration offices, asking them to reopen Courville’s deportation case. The letters will be sent through CONECT, or the Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut, a non-partisan interfaith group that supports social justice.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to a request for comment.