(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Vicky Chavez laughs at the cheers of her friends and family, prior to leaving the First Unitarian Church for the first time in three years, April 15, 2021. In January 2018, Chavez sought sanctuary at the church, living in a converted Sunday school classroom for more than three years with her two daughters. Chavez and her two daughters have been granted a stay and are no longer considered a priority for deportation by the United States. Chavez will remain in the United States for at least a year while lawyers continue to plead for permanent residency. At right is a doll of President Joe Biden that Chavez hand-knitted herself.
George has been an editorial writer, columnist and blogger for The Tribune's Opinion Section since 2002 (with a four-year diversion to do the same things for The Buffalo News in Buffalo, N.Y.).