PHOENIX (AP) – An immigrant father of five children including a 5-year-old boy with leukemia has taken sanctuary at a Phoenix church to avoid deportation.

Jesus Berrones had been scheduled to meet with immigration authorities Monday to begin proceedings for his return to Mexico. His parents brought the 30-year-old to the U.S. as a toddler.

He is now staying at the Shadow Rock United Church of Christ in Phoenix. It is one of the churches around the U.S. that have let immigrants faced with the threat of deportation to remain at their sanctuaries.

Berrones' pregnant wife Sonia and their children are all American citizens. Their son Jayden was diagnosed with leukemia in 2016 and is undergoing a three-year course of chemotherapy.