This is the amazing untold story of the Los Angeles sanctuary
movement's champion, Father Luis Olivares (1934–1993), a
Catholic priest and a charismatic, faith-driven leader for social
justice. Beginning in 1980 and continuing for most of the decade,
hundreds of thousands of Salvadoran and Guatemalan refugees made
the hazardous journey to the United States, seeking asylum from
political repression and violence in their home states. Instead of
being welcomed by the "country of immigrants," they were rebuffed
by the Reagan administration, which supported the governments from
which they fled. To counter this policy, a powerful sanctuary
movement rose up to provide safe havens in churches and synagogues
for thousands of Central American refugees.
Based on previously unexplored archives and over ninety oral
histories, this compelling biography traces the life of a complex
and constantly evolving individual, from Olivares's humble
beginnings in San Antonio, Texas, to his close friendship with
legendary civil rights leader Cesar Chavez and his historic
leadership of the United Neighborhoods Organization and the
sanctuary movement.