President Donald Trump is making good on his pledge to deport millions of illegal aliens, starting with the most violent. But millions of Hispanic Christians, according to Christianity Today, are fearful there's going to be a knock on the church doors, followed by a SWAT team:
"[Florida Pastor Gabriel] Salguero, who also leads the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, is especially concerned by the prospect of ICE agents entering church buildings or waiting outside after worship services," CT reports.
Pastor Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), tells AFN that's not going to happen.
"After having multiple assurances from those who know, from those who truly know, I have been assured that there is no – absolutely none, zero – commitment to breaking the sanctity of the church," he states. "The priority here is nothing [more] than coming after the criminal element and those engaged in nefarious activities."
According to Rodriguez, Hispanic evangelicals are just as upset about illegal immigration as their white brothers and sisters are. After all, he notes, most of them came to the country the right way.
"Churches should not at all be fearful. There should be zero angst, consternation, or fear as it pertains to the federal government coming with guns blazing into any sanctuary," he adds.
That said, Rodriguez isn't so sure about what happens outside the church walls. Border czar Tom Homan has suggested that if nonviolent illegal immigrants are found in the same location as their violent peers, they'll be going too.
"Now, I cannot deny the fact that there is a possibility that ICE agents may be waiting somewhere outside the parking lot for a pedophile, or a gangbanger, or a drug trafficker. But that's who they're targeting," he reassures. "They are not targeting good, God-fearing people who have been here 10, 15, 25 years who don't even have parking tickets."
Rodriguez was among a group of prominent faith and Hispanic community leaders who met recently to discuss Trump's executive orders that affect immigration. As a group, says NHCLC, they expressed "unwavering" support for the administration's focus on safety – specifically how border security will help reduce crime and lawlessness and minimize issues like human trafficking.
An Obama-era policy precluded ICE agents from carrying out immigration enforcement actions in locations like places of worship, schools, and hospitals. The Biden administration expanded the definition of what are called "sensitive locations." President Trump rescinded that policy soon after his inauguration on January 20, 2025, saying it didn't want to "tie the hands" of law enforcement and, instead, "trust them to use common sense."
