The Latest: Former Fulbright scholar leaves sanctuary
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The Latest on the end of deportation proceedings against a man who has been in sanctuary for almost 600 days (all times local):
4:15 p.m.
A former Fulbright scholar who has been fighting deportation to his native Indonesia has left the sanctuary of a Connecticut church after 598 days.
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Sujitno Sajuti (suh-JEET'-no saw-JEHW'-tee) had been living inside Meriden's Unitarian Universalist church since being ordered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2017 to board a plane.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal says federal officials have agreed to grant a special U visa to 70-year-old Sajuti after determining he was once the victim of a violent crime.
The West Hartford resident came to the United States in 1981 on a Fulbright Scholarship, earning advanced degrees from Columbia University and the University of Connecticut. He overstayed his student visa and remained in the United States.
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Sajuti thanked his supporters Friday saying he feels he is now a part of a big family.
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A former Fulbright scholar who has been fighting deportation to his native Indonesia is leaving the sanctuary of a Connecticut church after 598 days.
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Sujitno Sajuti (suh-JEET'-no saw-JEHW'-tee) has been living inside Meriden's Unitarian Universalist church since being ordered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2017 to board a plane.
Rev. Jan Carlsson-Bull, the church's minister, says ICE officials have informed the 70-year-old Sajuti that they are no longer seeking his deportation.
The West Hartford resident came to the United States in 1981 on a Fulbright Scholarship, earning advanced degrees from Columbia University and the University of Connecticut. He overstayed his student visa and remained in the United States.
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Church leaders say they will accompany Sajuti to ICE offices Friday afternoon to have his ankle bracelet removed.