By the Rev. Jonathan Abraham Kindberg, Director of C4SO’s Diaspora Network
In cities across the United States, the Church is hurting. This past year saw massive changes in immigration policy and enforcement in our country, and according to a recent report by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, World Relief, and the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), the majority of those affected are Christians. First Corinthians 12:26 reminds us that “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” In verse 22 of this same chapter, Paul says that “the parts that seem to be weaker are indispensable.”
How are current policy changes and enforcement affecting immigrant Christians and thus hurting the Church? These are some of the stories we are hearing directly from our immigrant church partners:
Iranian Muslim background believers fleeing persecution in Iran are currently held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention with little contact with the outside world.
Cuban and Burmese brothers and sisters are having their citizenship ceremonies indefinitely postponed with little explanation.
After harrowing journeys and long legal processes to enter the United States and apply for asylum, Christian Venezuelans are being arrested and deported.
Haitians have seen their legal protections put in limbo and work authorizations cancelled Visas for Nigerian family members are being blocked.
Many immigrants are afraid to drive to a Sunday service and are simply staying home.
How Can We Make Sense of What’s Happening?
Some broader statistics and context may be helpful:
73.6% of those arrested nationwide have no criminal convictions.
Most of the people ICE is targeting entered legally. Many of those currently being detained have various forms of legal status including DACA, asylum cases, special immigrant visas (SIV), and lawfully present refugees.
1 in 12 Christians stands to be deported or have at least one family member deported.
This alarming figure was revealed in the report we cited earlier from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, World Relief, and the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). Unfortunately, we are now seeing this projection become reality. Nearly every immigrant church we work with has someone currently in detention at risk of deportation.
How do we respond as the Church?
Pray: Join Diaspora Network each Tuesday on Zoom, 10-10:30 a.m. Central Time over Zoom to pray with and for the diaspora community in the US. (Email us for the link). Join with churches across the country on March 25, 2026 for a special day of prayer and fasting.
Learn: For a biblical perspective on immigration and other immigration-related resources, go here.
Advocate: Follow our partners at World Relief and The National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NaLEC) for practical advocacy resources and regular updates.
Give: Financially support the Diaspora Network or C4SO immigrant congregations such as Iglesia de Cristo Anglican Church in Kansas City. (Select Iglesia de Cristo from the drop-down menu.)
Hold on to Hope
In the midst of all the upheaval and stories of suffering, there are glimmers of hope and so many testimonies of faithful resistance and perseverance:
Iranian believers in Texas are sharing the Gospel with other detainees from Afghan Muslim backgrounds.
White Christians are bringing food and Bibles to immigrant apartment complexes in Minnesota sheltering in place.
Haitian churches across the country are mobilizing to pray and fast for the continuance of Temporary Protective Status (TPS) and seeing breakthroughs and answers to their prayers.
These testimonies give me hope and renewed trust in God’s faithfulness in and through his body even as she hurts.